Wednesday, August 8, 2012

The BTK Story

BTK – Birth of a Serial Killer

Wichita is the largest city in Kansas
and recognized as one of the major mid-sized cities in the nation.
Founded in 1868, the city enshrined the name of Wichita Indians, who
had made that area their home.

Wichita, Kansas

The people of Wichita take great pride in
their community, a fact which has earned the city the national
distinction of “All American City” not once, but three times. Home to
Boeing, Cessna, Learjet and Ratheon, the city has also been nicknamed
the ”Air Capital of the World.”

In this booming city with one of the best
economies in the nation, something terrible was born. It’s hard to say
just when it happened and how long it took to reach maturity. No doubt
it began as a fantasy, an angry internal cauldron of hate and
frustration. Slowly, the fantasy became an obsession that demanded
fulfilment. The planning and execution of this seminal event took over
his conscious thought. Just once, he told himself, and then he would be
free of this overwhelming need. It wouldn’t be necessary to ever
risk doing it again.

But he was deluding himself. The
trophies, the photos, and the memories were poor substitutes for the
electrifying thrill and release of the act itself. The power he felt
when he held a life in his hands was unparalleled. There just had to be
some way to continue what he was doing without getting caught.
Stopping was not exactly an option he had to consider.

Of course there was a way. For someone
with his intellect, there was always a way. Cops are stupid, he knew
that. No match for him. No Harvard graduates there on the Wichita
police force. If he was careful, there was no reason for him not to
indulge himself as many times as he wished. Truth be told, that element
of danger added to his excitement and kept him on his guard.

Dawn

On January 15, 1974, a chilly winter day,
15-year-old Charlie Otero began his afternoon walk home from school.
Charlie, his parents, and four siblings had recently moved into a quiet
peaceful suburban neighborhood in a small frame house located at 803
North Edgemoor Street.

Charlie, happy that another school day
had come to an end, walked gingerly up the side walk towards his home.
As he opened the front door and walked into the living room, nothing
immediately seemed out of the ordinary. “Hello, is anyone home?” he
called out into the quiet house. There was no response. Not even a
bark from his dog. Such quiet was unusual. With some trepidation,
Charlie walked toward his parents’ bedroom. A strange feeling of dread
welled up inside him.

Julie Otero

Charlie’s father, Joseph, 38, was lying
face down on the floor at the foot of his bed; his wrists and ankles
had been bound. His mother, Julie, 34, lay on the bed bound in similar
fashion, only she had been gagged. For a few seconds, Charlie could
not move, he didn’t know what to do. Moments later his senses came
back to him and he rushed out in desperation to get help for his
parents, not realizing that he had experienced only a portion of the
horror that the house had in store.

Joseph Otero

A neighbor who came over to the house to help realized that when he tried to call the police, the phone lines had been severed.

Joseph Otero II

As the police searched the house, they
were shocked to find nine-year-old Joseph II in his bedroom face down
on the floor at the foot of his bed. His wrists and ankles were also
bound, the only difference being that over his head was a hood – and
according to one reporter, he had three hoods covering his head.

Josephine Otero

The worst was yet to come. Downstairs in
the basement, Charlie’s eleven-year-old sister, Josephine, was
discovered hanging by her neck from a pipe; she was partially nude,
dressed only in a sweatshirt and socks, and she had been gagged.

Investigators were stunned at this daytime execution-style multiple murder in such a quiet neighborhood.

From the very beginning of this case,
police have been very cautious about revealing the details of the
murders. What they did say was that all four of the victims had been
strangled with lengths of cord cut from a Venetian blind. There were no
cords like that in he house, so the killer had brought the
cords, hoods, tape, wire cutters and possibly a gun with him.

According to Capt. Paul Dotson of the
Wichita Police Department, semen was found throughout the house, and it
appeared as though the killer had masturbated on some of the victims,
although none had been sexually assaulted. Joseph Otero’s watch was
missing from the scene and has never been recovered. Aside from Julie
Otero’s purse being dumped and the missing watch, there was no real
evidence of forced entry, robbery, or a struggle.

The coroner determined that all four
murders occurred well before noon and very likely around 8 or nine in
the morning. Police theorized that while Joseph Otero was driving the
older three children to school that the murderer gained entry into the
house where Julie and her two younger children were by themselves. Once
the killer subdued and bound the three of them, he waited for Joseph to
come home to take the younger two children to school and caught him by
surprise. Someone had put the Oteros’ notoriously unfriendly large dog
out in back of the house.

The killer hung around for about an hour
an a half, then took the Otero family car and left it parked near
Dillons grocery not far away. Otero’s neighbors noticed a man, possibly
with a dark complexion, leaving Otero’s home in their car.

The Otero’s car was discovered in Oliver Square’s parking lot

Police initially wondered just who these
Oteros were and what they had done to warrant this brutal execution.
Several things they learned suggested motives, but nothing conclusive.

Joseph Otero had been born in Puerto
Rico and, after moving to the States, began a career in the military.
Just before his death, he had retired from the Air Force where he was a
flight instructor and mechanic. He was physically very fit and was an
excellent boxer. His colleagues liked him and no one could voice a
motive for his slaying.

The same type of report came back on
Julie. She had recently been caught in a downsizing at Coleman Company,
but she would have been rehired when business picked up again. She,
too, was a friendly person and a very good mother. Like her husband,
she was very accomplished in the art of self-defense. She had extensive
training in judo.

A police sketch of the man believed to have been seen in the area

The Otero children were very good in
school and were liked by the people who knew them. They, too, took up
the family sport of judo and were well beyond the average when it came
to self defense.So, what to make of this case? This brilliantly
planned and orchestrated crime which required surveillance, perfect
timing, and the ability to subdue a group of people who were normally
more than capable to defending themselves. It had the hallmarks of a
military operation, but then there were these nagging details that the
police didn’t want to discuss. Police Chief Floyd Hannon told the
Wichita Eagle in January of 1974 that ”the way in which family members
were slain indicates a fetish on the part of the assailant.”

Fetish

In October of 1974, just nine months
after the Otero family murders, the Wichita Eagle’s Don
Granger received an anonymous call, presumably from the Otero killer
himself. The caller directed him to a mechanical engineering textbook
in the Wichita Public Library. Inside the book, Granger found a
letter claiming credit for the killings of the Joseph Otero family, and
promising more victims. The authenticity of the letter was not in
doubt since it contained details that only the police and killer knew.

The letter was addressed to the “Secret
Witness Program” under which people with information about a crime could
pass on that information to police through the newspaper and remain
anonymous. Investigators immediately requested that the letter be
withheld from the public in an attempt to prevent a string of false
confessions. The Wichita Eagle complied with the police request.

However, Cathy Henkel, a reporter for a
2-month-old rival newspaper called the Wichita Sun, received a copy of
the letter and printed part of it in an article she wrote on Dec 11,
1974, some 11 months after the crime had been committed.

The killer wrote that the three
individuals being questioned for the Otero murders were not involved.
The following excerpts with their many misspellings and grammatical
errors were printed in the Sun :

“I write this letter to you for the sake
of the tax payer as well as your time. Those three dude you have in
custody are just talking to get publicity for the Otero murders. They
know nothing at all. I did it by myself and with no ones help. There
has been no talk either. Let’s put this straight….” The killer provides
details of the crimes and crime scene that were not published in the
paper.

“I’m sorry this happen to society. They
are the ones who suffer the most. It hard to control myself. You
probably call me ‘psychotic with sexual perversion hang-up.’ When this
monster enter my brain I will never know. But, it here to stay. How
does one cure himself? If you ask for help, that you have killed four
people they will laugh or hit the panic button and call the cops.

“I can’t stop it so the monster goes on,
and hurt me as well as society. Society can be thankful that there are
ways for people like me to relieve myself at time by day dreams of
some victims being torture and being mine. It a big complicated game my
friend of the monster play putting victims number down, follow them,
checking up on them, waiting in the dark, waiting, waiting…. the
pressure is great and sometimes he run the game to his liking. Maybe
you can stop him. I can’t. He has already chosen his next victim or
victims. I don’t know who they are yet. The next day after I read the
paper, I will know, but it to late. Good luck hunting.

“YOURS, TRULY GUILTILY”

Although the letter was unsigned, it contained this postscript:

“P.S. Since sex criminals do not change
their M.O. or by nature cannot do so, I will not change mine. The code
word for me will be….Bind them, toture them, kill them, B.T.K., you see
he at it again. They will be on the next victim.”

B.T.K., despite a few feeble attempts to
appear to have a weak grip on the English language, is quite well
educated and is a reasonably good speller when he is not trying to
deceive his audience. He has no trouble with words like “psychotic,”
“complicated,” and “perversion.” He has also done quite a bit of
reading about the criminal psychology of that era. The famous letters
from California’s Zodiac Killer and the Jack the Ripper letters were
well known from newspapers and books. Interestingly, the Zodiac began
his murder series on October 30, 1966 and wrote his first letter to the
police almost one month later on November 29, 1966. Even more
interesting is the fact that the Zodiac, after three years of silence,
sent the first of a series of four letters to the San Francisco
Chronicle on January 29, 1974. Chances are that B.T.K. had read about
this in the newspaper and decided to open the lines of communication
with the media and police.

Kathryn Bright

The Wichita Eagle reported that on April
4, 1974, just three months after the Otero murders, Kathryn Bright,
20, and her brother Kevin, 19, went to her home at 3217 E. 13th Street
at approximately 1 p.m. There was an intruder hiding in the house,
waiting for her to return.

The intruder told them he needed money
and a car to escape from the California police. At gun point, Kevin was
forced to tie his sister to a chair and was then taken to another room
where he to was tied up and gagged. A few minutes later, the man tried
to stangle Kevin with a rope, but Kevin resisted and was shot twice in
the head. He heard sounds of distress from his sister in the next
room. Kevin managed to escape and get help for his sister, but she died
five hours after being taken to the hospital with three stab wounds in
her abdomen.

Police also noted that the Kathryn was
partially undressed and that there was obvious ligature activity around
her neck. Kevin assisted the police in sketching a likeness of the
intruder, but he was not identified. Police did not associate B.T.K.
with this crime at that point in time.

Shirley Vian

Three years later on March 17, 1977,
Wichita police were dispatched to 1311 South Hydraulic Street. Upon
arrival, police entered the home and discovered 26-year-old Shirley
Vian dead. She lay on her bed partially undressed, hands and feet
bound, a plastic bag draped over her head. Upon removing the bag
investigators noted the BTK’s signature cord wrapped tightly around her
neck. The armed intruder had locked Shirley’s three children in the
closet. The children eventually managed to free themselves and call
police.

Authorities remove Vian’s body from crime scene

Again, investigators believed that the
crime was premeditated. The incident occurred during the daytime and
there was no sign of forced entry. The killer had stopped one of the
victim’s sons on the street that morning, and showed him photographs of
a woman and child, purportedly seeking directions to their home.

Different Worlds Collide

The town of Wichita was by now in a blind
panic. Hundreds of people coming home for the evening would regularly
check to see if their telephone lines had been cut (a BTK trademark).
Working women hurried home and locked their doors. BTK was quickly
becoming a ghost story told to newcomers at parties and bars.

Nancy Fox

On Dec. 8, 1977, BTK placed a call to
the emergency hotline “Go to this address,” he told an emergency
dispatcher, “You will find a homicide – Nancy Fox.” Investigators
were able to quickly trace the call to a downtown phone booth, where
witnesses indistinctly recalled a blond man, approximately six feet
tall, using the phone booth moments earlier. Unfortunately, the
quality of the recording was too poor for investigators to perform any
type of voice analysis.Following the caller’s instructions, officers
rushed to 843 S. Pershing. Upon arrival, investigators immediately
noticed that a window had been broken, allowing entry to the home.
Upon entering the apartment house, officers discovered 25-year-old
Nancy Jo Fox dead in her bedroom, a nylon stocking twisted around her
neck. Unlike previous victims, she was fully clothed. Fox’s driver’s
license (like Joseph Otero’s watch) was missing from the scene. Again,
investigators theorized that the killer took the license as a memento
of the crime. The murder had occurred at night, semen was found at the
scene, but an autopsy later revealed that Fox had not been sexually
assaulted.

Vanishing Act

As abruptly as they started, the killings appeared to have ended in 1977. It seemed as though BTK had vanished. Or had he?

Eula West, a receptionist at the
Sedgwick County Courthouse, recalls, “I was taking all precautions, and
everybody I heard talking about it did too.” Many people refused to go
outside at night for weeks. Some people bought firearms.

On January 31, 1978, BTK mailed a letter to the Wichita Eagle-Beacon.
Within the letter was a short poem about Shirley Vian, who was
murdered in March 1977. However, it was accidentally routed to the
advertising department by mistake and it went overlooked for days.

“It seemed as though every day we were
waiting to see what would happen next,” said Rose Stanley, who began
work at a Wichita TV station just before the killings began. “He would
choke the person almost to the point of death. Then he would let them
come back. Then he would strangle them to death.”

The Wichita Eagle Newspaper building

Distraught at the lack of publicity, BTK
wrote another letter on February 10, 1978 to a local television
station. “How many do I have to kill,” he wrote, “before I get my name
in the paper or some national attention?” In this latest letter, the
strangler claimed to have murdered seven victims, naming Nancy Jo Fox
as the latest. Number seven remained nameless, adding, “You guess the
motive and the victims.” According to The Wichita Eagle
newspaper, even though investigators were unable to document the
killer’s claim, they took his word – announced acceptance of the body
count – and assumed that the seventh unnamed victim was Kathryn Bright.
In addition to these claims, the killer blamed his crimes on “a demon”
and a mysterious “factor X”, he compared his work with that of Jack
the Ripper, the Hillside Stranglers, and Son of Sam.

He claimed that he was sorry for the
murders and that a monster had entered his brain. He also warned that
he had chosen his next victim.

Until March of 2004, the last confirmed
BTK incident took place on April 28, 1979, when he waited inside a
house in the 600 block of South Pinecrest for the 63-year-old owner to
come home. When she did not show up, BTK became angry and sent the
woman a note along with one of her scarves. “Be glad you weren’t
here,” he wrote, “because I was.”

”I think people were really scared,
especially if you were a woman living alone, which I was at the time,”
said Kathy Page-Hauptman, director of performing arts at the Wichita
Center for the Arts.

The BTK investigation was dormant through most of the early 1980s with no new leads or tips.

Ghost Busters

In 1983 two teams of detectives were
assigned to reinvestigate the murders. They set out on a cross-country
trip, collecting saliva and blood samples from over 200 people that
had been flagged by their computer as prime suspects in the case. The
samples collected were all voluntary, only five of the men refused.
The blood tests ultimately eliminated all but 12 of the names on the
list (including the five who refused the tests).

In July of 1984, investigators, set up a
task force, nicknamed “The Ghostbusters” and hired a computer
consultant to work with them in an attempt to try and discover the
identity of BTK. After assembling their massive collection of DNA
evidence, seven years after the last murder, investigators finished
entering their data into an IBM computer, and a list of suspects began
to spew out.

“The Ghostbusters” task force discovered
some of the most promising evidence during their investigation. One
of the most startling clues was the revelation of one similarity, all
of the murders occurred within 3 1/2 miles of one another. This led
investigators to believe that the BTK strangler only felt comfortable
killing in areas that were familiar to him.

During the fall of 1984, one of the task
force investigators took the February 10, 1978 BTK letter to Xerox
headquarters in Syracuse, New York. There a lab technician concluded
that the letter was a fifth-generation copy of the original, which
would make it virtually impossible to trace. In addition, the
technician went on to state that the machine used to generate the copy
was located at the Wichita State University library.

During the investigation into the
letters, the contents of the poems were also regarded as clues. It was
soon discovered that the Vian poem was patterned after a “Curly Locks”
nursery rhyme that had only just appeared in Games, a puzzle
magazine. After making this startling discovery, investigators
obtained a list of all the subscribers to the magazine in question.

The Fox poem, titled “Oh Death to Nancy,” had been patterned after a poem entitled Oh Death
which had been published in a Wichita State University textbook. The
book had previously been used in an American folklore class; hence,
investigators obtained a copy of the class roster.

Law enforcement officials have not yet
released BTK’s letters to the public. When asked to typify them, Capt.
Paul Dotson stated, “Here I am. Pay attention.”

Using all of the available evidence
obtained, investigators soon began to assemble lists of every white
male that lived within a quarter-mile of the Oteros’ house in or around
January 1974. Investigators also made similar lists for the Vian, Fox
and Bright homes. In addition, task force investigators compiled
lists of men living within 1 1/4 miles of each of the victim’s homes;
they also assembled lists of white male students who attended Wichita
state University between 1974 and 1979. The smallest list contained
the names of eight people who had checked out the mechanical
engineering textbook from the library where the Otero letter was found.

Detectives decided that the most
significant of all were the address lists. ”The main crux of our search
always was geographical,” said Lt. Kenneth Landwehr of the Wichita
Police Department. “According to the behavioral scientists, the
individual lived close to where he was striking.”

Lt. Kenneth Landwehr at a press conference

Once the lists were completed,
investigators used their computer to try to come up with a more precise
list of suspects. The computer gave them 225 possible suspects, most
of whom no longer resided in Wichita. One by one, the detectives set
out to eliminate each of the 225 possible suspects.

One of the key pieces of evidence that
the killer left behind was his semen. Lab technicians were able to
determine that it was a type of semen found in fewer than 6 percent of
all males. Police will not comment as to the type, citing their rules
of evidence.

The Next Step

Although the two-year investigation ended
without an arrest, the knowledge gained and some of the samples
collected formed the of the basis for the work of the squad.

”We tried a hundred thousand theories,”
now retired Lt. Al Stewart said. “We checked house numbers, the
victims’ length of residency, the phases of the moon, we read books,
looking for arcane connections to mythology, witchcraft and
demonology.”

On Oct. 31, 1987, the body of 15-year-old
Shannon Olson was found dumped in a pond in an industrial area,
partially disrobed and stabbed numerous times. Her hands and feet were
bound. The murder sparked off an outbreak of letters to the police and
media suggesting the BTK Strangler committed the crime.

On Dec. 31, 1987, Mary Fager, the
married mother of two daughters, returned to her Wichita home after
spending 2 1/2 days out of town. Upon entering her house, she
discovered her husband, Phillip Fager, dead; he had been shot twice in
the back. Her two daughters, 16-year-old Kelli and 10-year-old Sherri,
were both found strangled in the hot tub situated in the basement of
the home. Sherri’s hands and feet were bound with black electrical
tape, which later washed loose. Kelli Fager was nude.

Soon after the Fager murders, someone
wrote a letter to Mary Fager, claiming to be the BTK Strangler. The
letter declared that while he had not committed the murders he was a
fan of whoever had. FBI experts said they cannot irrefutably say that
the letter came from BTK, but one source involved in the investigation
who saw the letter himself, states that there is no doubt in his mind
that it was authentic. “It made the hair stand up on the back of my
neck,” the source stated.

According to Lt. Landwehr, a local
contractor stated to police that he went to the Fager house, where he
was doing construction work, and discovered the father’s body. He went
on to claim that he had heard some noise in the house and fled in the
family’s car. The contractor was arrested in Florida four days later.
According to Landwehr, the man claimed he had a total blank of the
events that had occurred.

The contractor was arrested and subsequently charged with the Fager murders. However, a jury acquitted him of all charges.

Lt. Landwehr said they have closed the Fager case because they are confident that the contractor was the killer.

Cold Case Squad

In 1991, the Wichita Police Department
assembled a cold case squad when police received a new lead in the BTK
murders. Although the lead fizzled, Capt. Paul Dotson will not disclose the nature of the tip.

“I believe he is still probably in this community,” Mike McKenna, a former Wichita police detective, said.

In 1997, Robert Ressler, a former FBI
veteran who first applied the term “serial killer”, helped outline a
profile of BTK. Ressler said the man was probably a graduate student
or a professor in the criminal justice field at WSU in Kansas, was most
likely in his mid-to-late-20s at the time of the killings and was an
avid reader of books and newspaper stories concerning serial murders.
Additionally, because his pattern of killings has not been seen in
Wichita since the ’70s, he has “left the area, died or is in a mental
institution or prison,” Ressler said.

Robert K. Ressler

“I’ve learned that if man gets the
opportunity, he will do devious things,” Ressler said. “He has a dark
side, whether it’s poisoning his neighbor’s roses or killing his
neighbor.”

In February of 1998, Police Chief
Richard LaMunyon said in an interview that a “typewritten, rambling
communiqué, which purports to be from BTK” received by police about a
week after the Fager murders has no connection to the Dec. 30 murders of
Phillip Fager, and his daughters. LaMunyon said a continuing
investigation has not yet confirmed whether the serial killer sent the
letter. LaMunyon went on to say that the department does sporadically
receive bogus letters from people claiming to be the BTK strangler.

As 1988 came to a close, a former BTK
task force detective, Al Thimmesch, retired. Al says he regrets never
solving the murders. ”One of the things that bugged me was BTK,” he
said. “It was one that I worked on for a long time.”

Investigators call BTK fastidious,
calculating and meticulous; with a strong possibility that he may be
heard from again. “This type of personality doesn’t stop voluntarily,”
said Wichita Police Capt. Paul Dotson. “This type of person continues
to kill.”

Sedgwick County Sheriff Mike Hill, who
worked on the 1978 probe, said, “It’s sad to say the only way that
we’ll ever find out who this individual is will be we’ll have to have a
victim.” Nevertheless, Stewart hopes that some day a beat cop will
stumble onto the BTK still savoring his press clippings or souvenirs.

Obsession by John Douglas

FBI Profiler John Douglas in the book Obsession
has a chapter on the BTK strangler. It is the chapter called
“Motivation X”. Within the book, Douglas states that there were no
defensive wounds found on any of the victims, assuming that the killer
used a gun to control them. He further stated that the killer’s letters
to the police had so much detail that he is convinced that the
perpetrator had taken his own crime scene photos in order to have a
keepsake of the crime to fantasize about later.

Douglas states that the killer used
police lingo in his letters – Douglas thinks he may actually be a cop,
or may impersonate a cop – he probably reads detective magazines and
may have even bought a police badge. He would attempt to insert
himself in the investigation. He would be tempted to brag or leave
hints about what he had done.

Douglas states that the killer was in
all probability a loner, inadequate, in his 20s or 30s, might possibly
have an arrest record for break-ins or voyeurism, but probably no
actual rapes.

Douglas further states that the
perpetrator may have stopped killing because he is in jail for something
else, or a mental hospital, may have died, or maybe he injected
himself so closely into the investigation, he got scared. It is even a
possibility that the memories and photographs are enough for him to
contain his obsession.

Profile

On August 4, 2000, David Lohr contacted
Dr. Deborah Schurman-Kauflin, President of the Violent Crimes
Institute, and asked her to draw up a profile of the killer based on
the information at hand. The profile read as follows:

“From the information provided to me
which is limited (no crimes scene photos, police report, etc), I have
constructed the most likely type of person to have committed the murders
in the 1970s. I do not believe the murders from the 80s were
connected.”

Single, white male 28-30

Resided near Oteros or spent time in the area to form fantasy about
Josephine (this was his main target). Lived in a house, not apartment.

Over 6’1, tall and trim. Neat in appearance with short hair. Clothes darker by choice.

Considered quiet and conservative by those who would know him.
Modest. I believe people would mistake him as kind because of his quiet
demeanor. But he suffers from extreme pathology — psychopath.There are
no voices or demons. This man knew exactly what he was doing.
He was and, if alive, still would be an extremely sad individual. Sad for himself and his pain. Completely self-absorbed.
Because I did not have access to the letters, his job status is
questionable to me. I do feel that his job was very secondary to him.
Money was not important either. His compulsion to kill was and ALWAYS
would be number 1. He would not be satisfied with fantasy. He would be
forced to act. Therefore, I find it hard to believe that he did not
kill between 1974 and 1977. If there were no murders in Kansas at that
time, he was someplace else.
He was very immature — the games, magazines, choice of child target.
The fact that he did not sexually assault lends credence to this. He
masturbated on the victims but did not rape.
At the same time, he is very patient in his crimes, stalking and
killing without detection. This makes him a paradox, which in and of
itself would be disturbing even to him.
I do feel like he is very comfortable with books and would have many of
them in his home. Not just a few, many, many books. True crime as well
as books, which feed his fantasies. I feel as if they would be found
all over his house. He was smart, highly intelligent.
This is not someone who is heavily into drugs/alcohol. They do not
cause his crimes. He may drink at times, but that would not be an
excuse for the murders.

He had a car, which would have been dark in color as well. However,
this is a person who would enjoy walking around neighborhoods looking
at people and victims.

Due to his immaturity, he would be comfortable with people much
younger than him. He would not have many friends, only acquaintances
who really do not know him. All of his relationships would be
superficial. He would not be married, and any history with women would
be short-lived and meaningless.

This is not a person who would stop killing on his own. There are 3 reasons to stop:

Death

Prison

Too disabled or sick to kill

Period. This is a compulsive psychopath who enjoyed killing and wouldn’t give it up.

I generally give more detailed analyses but due to limited information, this is what I can provide.”

Dr. Deborah Schurman-Kauflin
Violent Crimes Institute President

Aftermath

Although Wichita police invested 100,000
hours in at least a half-dozen investigations from 1974 until 1991, BTK
was not caught. The FBI called the case one of its top unsolved
mysteries.

The search for the “BTK Strangler” had
been scaled down to one detective. The remaining detective on the BTK
case, Lt. Kenneth Landwehr, stated that the case files were not just
sitting around collecting dust: “I’ve been told by the chief that this
investigation will stay open until we have no more (reasonable) leads
to follow”, adding: “that can almost be to infinity.”

The investigation has involved thousands
of suspects and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in man-hours,
travel expenses and telephone bills.

The Otero home, undated photo

Over twenty-five years later, the Otero
house has changed hands a half-dozen times. Charlie Otero and two
siblings have since moved to Albuquerque but have not been heard from
since the Ghostbusters investigation.

Suddenly in 2004, after so many years,
BTK investigation was re-launched after the killer sent a letter to The
Wichita Eagle that claimed responsibility for the 1986 murder of Vicki
Wegerle, who was strangled in her home at 2404 W. 13th. BTK provided
some very convincing evidence of the letter’s authenticity by including
crime scene photos and Wegerle’s driver’s license. She was the mother
of two children, one of whom was home at the time of the murder.

BTK Returns

Vicki Wegerle, victim

After nearly 30 years of silence, BTK
once again terrorized the city of Wichita. The killer resurfaced on
March 19, 2004, when he sent a letter to The Wichita Eagle newsroom.

The residence of Vicki Wegerle

According to reports in the Eagle,
the letter suggested the killer was taking responsibility for the
September 16, 1986, unsolved death of Vicki Wegerle, who was found in
her home at 2404 W. 13th Street. Included with the letter were a
photocopy of Wegerle’s driver’s license and three photos of her body.

Investigators are not yet releasing the
contents of the letter, however it has been reported in the media that
the return address on the letter was from “Bill Thomas Killman” (BTK) —
1684 South Oldmanor. Investigators have since determined the name to
be fictitious and the address a vacant lot. Why he chose them is
unknown, but many speculate there is a hiding meaning behind it.

A police officer inspects Wegerle’s car

On March 24, 2004, Lt. Ken Landwehr, who
has been investigating the BTK case for over 20 years, confirmed that
the letter was from BTK. The single fingerprint removed from the
letter, he stated, would most likely come back to an employee from the
newspaper and not from the killer.

Landwehr told Wichita news station Kake-10
that investigators were following leads from more than 290 telephone
tips and requested that anyone with information should call the BTK
hotline. It’s not traceable, so tipsters can remain anonymous.

Gregg McCrary

On March 25, 2004, Gregg McCrary, a former FBI profiler, told The Wichita Eagle
he felt BTK was bragging about his crimes and he craves the media
attention: “‘Look at what I’ve done.’ He can’t resist doing that,” said
McCrary. “Frightening the public is like playing God. It’s a heady,
intoxicating experience, so they’re not afraid to make contact with you
(the media) or police — that’s all a part of the game for a guy like
this. He’s outwitted law enforcement and everybody else all these
years.”

Psychologist Dr. Harold Brodsky spoke with KAKE-TV
on March 28, 2004, and said giving BTK attention is a good thing.
“Are we falling into his hands by showing him this attention? The
reality is, if we don’t show him this attention, he’s going to do
something diabolical,” said Brodsky. Regardless of where he has been
and why he has suddenly come back, one thing is certain — he has once
again brought panic to the city of Wichita. Investigators have
surmised that the killer is living in the area. No one feels safe and
practically everyone is taking steps to protect themselves. Sales of
security systems, locks, guns, personal alarms, pepper spray and other
security devices have sky rocketed. The case has drawn the attention
of national news organizations and CNN, MSNBC and Good Morning America
are covering it from all angles.

In the mean time everyone seems to have
the same questions: Will he make contact again? Or more importantly:
Will he kill again? Unfortunately, no one has an answer to either
question and only time will tell if BTK strikes again.

“Will There (Be) More?”

On May 5, 2004, another letter suspected
to be from BTK was sent to Kansas television station KAKE-TV. The
letter was three pages. On the first page was typed “The BTK Story,”
under which was a list of chapters taken from Court TV’s Crime Library
story on the killer, Ron Sylvester reported in The Wichita Eagle.
Intriguingly, some of the chapter titles were changed from those
listed in Crime Library original story. For example, Chapter 7
originally titled “BTK- The Next Step” was changed to “PJ’s,” Chapter 4
titled “BTK- Different Worlds Collide” was altered to read “Fantasy
World” and the chapter titled “BTK Cold Case Squad” was changed to
“Will There (Be) More?”

Wichita Eagle logo

The second page of the letter was titled
“Chapter 8″ and contained word puzzles with letters in vertical rows,
Jeanene Kiesling reported in a May KAKE-TV article. On the last page
were photocopies of business ID’s belonging to two men, one a former
Southwestern Bell worker and the other a former employee of the Wichita
public school district, the Associated Press reported in June.
According to the article, the phone company employee was later contacted
but he could not understand why a photocopy of his ID was in the
letter. Upon further investigation, the school district employee listed
on the card did not exist and the logo of the school used on the card
had been discontinued. Interestingly, the three-page letter was
different from the March letter sent to The Wichita Eagle in
that the return address on the envelope bore the name Thomas B. King
(TBK) instead of Bill Thomas Killman (BTK), Sylvester reported.

It didn’t take long for the FBI to
authenticate the letter as a genuine BTK communication, believed to
have been his third in a three-month period. The first known
communication in 2004 was the March 19th letter sent to The Wichita Eagle.
The second known communication allegedly by BTK was an anonymous letter
sent to Wichita’s KSN-TV in April 2004, which purportedly contained a
photo of an unidentified baby.

There was no doubt that the killer was
back to his old habit of taunting police. However, it is likely that he
was also providing them with vital clues to his identity and details
regarding his past murders. It was suggested that the killer may have
used the IDs represented in the letter to gain access to the victims’
homes. Moreover, police alleged that the chapter titled “PJ’s” could be
a clue linking the killer to a faculty member at Wichita State
University.

Many wondered why the killer chose this
point in time to resurface. Some believed that the killer reemerged
because he missed the media attention, which he seemed to crave. There
is also a chance that his most recent communications were a warning
that he might strike again in the near future. BTK’s new letters have
re-ignited the investigation into the killer, as well as the
community’s fears of more brutal murders. Many wonder whether the BTK
killer can be captured before he gets a chance to kill again.

More Clues Revealed

On June 17, 2004 another letter was
found in a mechanical engineering book in the drop box of the Wichita
Public Library. The letter was immediately handed over to police, who
later revealed that it was yet another genuine BTK communication. This
time the letter detailed some of the events surrounding the 1974 Otero
murders, among other things.

The entire letter’s contents have not
yet been revealed by authorities. However, it is believed that there
might have been more clues present in the letter, which linked the
killer to Wichita State University. Initially, it was unclear why the
hunt for BTK continuously led the police to the school campus. Yet, in
August 2004 investigators finally revealed the significance of the
university in their investigation.

Professor P.J. Wyatt, who taught an
English literature class at the university between 1964 and 1986, was
of interest to police because of a folksong she analyzed titled “Oh
Death.” The song was of great significance to the BTK killer and
inspired a poem he wrote called ”Oh! Death to Nancy” which was found in
a 1978 letter. It was alleged that the altered poem referenced BTK’s
murder of Nancy Fox in December 1977. Investigators looked for hidden
meanings in the poem that might help them apprehend the killer but it
turned out to be of little use. Unfortunately, the professor could not
assist investigators in the case because she passed away in 1991 of
cancer.

Nancy Fox, victim

More interesting than “Oh! Death to Nancy”
is the poem that BTK wrote to Anna, an intended victim, who did not
come home in time to be murdered by BTK. He waited in her home for her
to return, but then became impatient and left. This poem, part of which
is printed below, commemorates this event.

T’ was perfect plan of deviant pleasure so bold on that Spring nite
My inner felling hot with propension of the new awakening season

Warn, wet with inner fear and rapture, my pleasure of entanglement,
like new vines at night

Finnegan’s Wake by James Joyce

The poem is in many ways remarkable
because of the levels of meaning that BTK suggests in the words he
uses. Reminiscent of James Joyce’s epic, Finnegan’s Wake, BTK
uses words that suggest several meanings. Starting with the very first
line in the poem, the T with the superscript 1 is used in scientific
research to designate the beginning phase of a study. Subsequent phases
would be T2, T3, etc. On another more ordinary level, the superscript 1
could be interpreted as an apostrophe to create “T’was” except that
“T’was perfect plan” is missing a word, like “a” or “the.” It appears
as though whatever BTK had in store for Anna was something “bold” and
new.

“Felling,” for example, suggests the
purposeful killing of a living tree, as well as the taking of Anna’s
life. It also describes his feelings of excitement as he anticipates his
meeting with her. Like Joyce, he creates words by juxtaposing parts of
other words. “Propension” is not some mistake on BTK’s part, it is his
creation of a new word to represent the anticipation of this new
encounter. “Propension” may be a combination of other words like
“propensity” or “property” or “possessions.”

What’s the point of these intellectual
gymnastics? No doubt, BTK sees himself as an artist and gets pleasure
in creating these poems and lyrics with multiple levels of meaning.
There is almost certainly another motivation as well. BTK likes to
demonstrate his considerable intelligence. He believes that he is a
superior intellect and enjoys pointing out to authorities that he is
still at large. In other words, he is smarter than all of them local
experts, FBI profilers, amateur sleuths, psychics. Thus far, it appears
that he is right.

The search for BTK has not only caught
the attention of those in the United States but also that of millions
around the world. The BTK case has even led to the production of a
British documentary film concerning the murders and the ongoing
investigation, Theresa Freed reported in a September 2004 KAKE-TV
article. Freed reported that the “British film crew not only wants to
tell the BTK story but (also) offer police new insight into the case.”

The new insight came in the form of a
British psychic named Dennis McKenzie who traveled with the crew to
Wichita. Freed said that McKenzie has successfully assisted in several
high profile investigations, including the Soham murders. He was also
able to contribute to the BTK investigation by producing an image of
the killer with the help of a sketch artist, as well as other
potentially valuable information concerning the murder cases, Freed
stated. It is hoped that the new leads will result in the eventual
apprehension of the BTK killer. Until that time, Wichita residents are
left in a perpetual state of fear, wondering if there will be a new
victim in the near future.

Name Games

On October 22, 2004, a suspicious letter
was left at a UPS drop box outside the OmniCenter building at 250 N.
Kansas Street in Wichita, Kansas. Police suspected that the letter was
written by BTK and have sent it to the FBI for verification three days
after its discovery. Interestingly, the letter was discovered on the 30th
anniversary of BTK’s first communication with the authorities. Chances
are that the timing was no coincidence. The contents of the letter and
the identity of the person who alerted police of its whereabouts still
remain unclear.

Homicide Detective Kelly Otis of the
Wichita Police, who is working on the BTK case, interviewed people who
were in the immediate area of the office building and who worked there
at the time the letter was allegedly placed at the scene. It was hoped
that someone might have witnessed the person who left the letter in the
UPS box. One person who was interviewed by Otis claimed to have seen a
suspicious individual dropping a letter off at the UPS box on the same
day the letter in question was purportedly left at the drop box.

On October 26, 2004, Beth Jett of
KAKE-TV news quoted an unidentified man saying, “you could see the
nervousness in his eyes…I was right around the corner (from the UPS
drop box) and he looked back at me and that’s when he took off.” The
man believed that the suspicious person he saw might have been the BTK
killer. BTK is thought to be around 50-60 years old with graying hair
and of medium stature.

In the meantime, the authorities
continue pouring over clues left by the BTK killer. It is clear that
the killer has gone to great effort to misguide and confuse the
authorities by providing them with false information likely mixed with
subtle truths. It is almost certain that he is highly educated or at
least well read, judging by his use of statistical jargon and James
Joyce-like style of writing. Moreover, his use of the name Thomas King
in one of his letters is very possibly yet another clue to his choice of
literature. There is a Canadian author of articles, stories and poems
mostly about Native American life who bears the same name.

Both Thomas King and James Joyce are two
of many famous authors whose works have been studied by literature
students at Kansas State University. Could BTK have studied these
authors at some point at the university? There seems to be many links
between BTK and the school, especially with the now-deceased lecturer
Professor P.J. Wyatt. With the mounting evidence, there is a good
chance that BTK was once a student at the university or may have even
worked there. However, it may also be another ploy used by the killer
to mislead investigators.

Envelope of letter sent by BTK

If the names BTK used in his letters
were in fact clues to his identity, many wonder what would be the
significance of the name Bill Thomas Killman. Some believe the name is a
puzzle in itself and if arranged properly might spell out a hidden
message or meaning. However, the name could also be another
sophisticated tool used to taunt police.

Return address on the envelope

Kenneth Thomas and Ralph Kilmann (with
one “l” and two “n”s) devised a tool, known as the Thomas-Kilmann
Conflict Mode Instrument, which is used to help people handle conflict.
The instrument is sometimes used by police departments to help
officers deal with people who are aggressive or scared, which they
often encounter in their line of work. When the killer used the name
Bill Thomas Killman in his previous letters, could he have been
indirectly referring to this conflict instrument and using it as a tool
to mock the police? It is a question that may never be answered.
Unfortunately, until the BTK killer is caught we can only speculate
about his identity or motivation for his horrific crimes.

On Nov. 30, 2004, Wichita Police did a
press release offering a great deal of background information supplied
by BTK about his life. This is, indeed unique in the history of serial
killers. Occasionally, the concept that serial killers “want to be
caught” finds its way into the news. This is pure fiction. Serial
killers are pyschopaths. They are entirely self-focused. They will not
intentionally put themselves in harm’s way. Psychopaths are notorious
liars and BTK is no exception.

So, now that BTK has supplied a number
of supposedly true facts about himself, what are we to make of it? Are
we now to believe this serial killer? Are we now to chase down and
investigate his claims?

We would be foolish to do so. If BTK
wanted to reveal his identity, he would walk into any police station
and do so. But he does not because he is a psychopath who is enjoys
taunting and playing with the police and engaging the huge public
following that he has amassed. Now that he has “revealed” this
biographical sketch, he can be assured that countless BTK amateur
sleuths, as well as FBI and Wichita police, will be completely absorbed
in it. What could be more gratifying to a dedicated narcissist?

It’s possible that some of the
information that BTK has volunteered about himself may be true, but you
can be assured that nothing factual that he has volunteered will trip
him up. He’s just too smart for that. Keep in mind that he is very
smart, potentially smarter than his pursuers. It’s more likely that
everything that BTK has volunteered about his biography is false or
misleading. He’s playing with us, his public. We shall see. The fact
that BTK is pushing for attention based on details of his life, rather
than recent murders, suggests that he is not in a position to operate
freely without the threat of discovery.

Police Power

Throughout the fall of 2004, police
continued their intense search for BTK, this time looking to their own
ranks. BTK is believed to have what some might consider “inside
knowledge” of police activity or law enforcement training. For
practical reasons, many serial killers are focused on the investigation
into their crimes. Some, like the notorious South Carolina serial
killer, Pee Wee Gaskins, and Dr. Frank Sweeney, Cleveland’s Kingsbury
Run murderer, have even cultivated police sources by hanging around
taverns where cops visit and luring them into conversations about the
investigation.

Serial killers are also attracted to law
enforcement because it represents power, the ingredient that the serial
killer lacks in his everyday life. Kenneth Bianchi, one of the
Hillside Stranglers, took courses in police science and posed as a
psychologist so that he could pal around with investigators working on
his case. It was more than just a practical activity to avoid becoming a
suspect himself, it was the vicarious thrill of outsmarting the police
and exerting power over them.

Dr. Frank Sweeney did the same type of
thing while decapitating 13 or more victims in the 1930s. The famed
Eliot Ness was head of law enforcement in Cleveland at that time. When
Eliot Ness focused his attentions on Sweeney, Sweeney reciprocated by
sending Ness taunting post cards and even a papier maché torso. Sweeney
got tremendous pleasure from outsmarting the very smart Eliot Ness.

This is what is happening here with BTK.
Instead of exerting power over his victims as he tortured and killed
them a couple of decades ago, he is now exerting power over the police.
His games, his letters, his packages are putting enormous pressure on
them to produce an arrest. Not only that, BTK has found a way to hold
power over thousands of fascinated amateur sleuths who flock to the
chat rooms and message boards to theorize and analyze BTK’s every word.
With the Laci Peterson circus finally coming to a close, BTK is making
a bid to be the next televised obsession. He has become a celebrity.

Was BTK ever a Wichita cop? It’s not
likely, although he may have experience in the military police. Just to
be on the safe side in case BTK turns out to be another Gerard
Schafer, Wichita police called on retired police officers in
mid-November to volunteer to have the inside of their mouths swabbed for
DNA samples so they could be eliminated as potential suspects.
However, investigators ran into unexpected difficulty when at least one
police officer refused to participate in the ongoing investigation.

According to Roy Wenzl’s November 21, 2004 article in the Wichita Eagle,
retired Det. Frank Cummins was skeptical of the DNA tests because of
long-term privacy concerns. Wenzl reported that “because of the nature
of DNA, because it can show genetic family relationships, it would be
like handing the police department a permanent set of fingerprints,
without permission from every person genetically related to him.”
Moreover, Cummins believed that the tests were a waste of money and he
distrusted how the police would utilize the samples. Consequently, he
decided not to voluntarily provide DNA samples. He would not be the last
person to refuse police testing.

Too Many Clues

In November, 2004, police publicly
revealed for the first time information that BTK revealed about himself
in a letter. The personal information was released in the hopes that
someone might recognize the killer’s description and come forward with
even more information about his identity or whereabouts. It is likely
that these “revelations” are simply disinformation provided by BTK to
throw the police off his trail. Jeanene Kiesling of KAKE-TV gave out
these new details on November 30, 2004:

BTK claims he was born in 1939, which would make him 64 or 65 years old.

His father died in World War II. His mother and grandparents raised him.

He has a fascination with railroads and between 1950 to 1955, his mother dated a detective with the railroad.

In the early 1950s he built and operated a ham radio. He also has knowledge of photography and can develop and print pictures.

He also likes to hunt, fish and camp.

In 1960, BTK claims he went to tech school and then joined the
military for active duty and was discharged in 1966 at which time he
says he moved back in with his mother.

He worked repairing copiers and business equipment.

He admits to soliciting prostitutes.

BTK is now playing to an ever
increasingly devoted audience and needs to keep their interest alive.
So one can expect to see many more communications from him as he
discards incriminating evidence.

In the meantime, there are also old
theories re-emerging that BTK might have served in the U.S. Air Force.
BTK’s first victim, Joseph Otero, was known to have served in the Air
Force and at the time of his death worked at Rose Hill Airport. Some
believe that BTK may also stand for “Born to Kill” the name and initials
of several Air Force squadrons.

In mid-December, 2004, an unidentified
man found a suspicious white plastic bag wrapped in rubber bands in
Murdock Park. The man took the bag home and looked inside it, when to
his surprise he noticed items that may have belonged to some of BTK’s
victims.

Investigators examined the bag’s
contents and found a driver’s license belonging to Nancy Fox and a
letter, along with other objects. The letter was similar to one found
earlier in May 2004, which displayed a list of chapters taken from this
Crime Library story. However, some of the chapter titles were listed
differently.

In the most recent letter chapter 13 was
changed from “Will There More?” to “Will There Be More?” The chapter
originally had a different title. Yet, after the May letter, the title
was changed to “Will there (Be) More.” In BTK’s latest communication it
is clear that he made a concerted effort to correct his grammatical
errors. It also appears that he is an avid true crime reader.

Furthermore, in the letter found in the
bag, chapters one, two and eight were left blank unlike those in the
May letter. In an interview with Larry Hatteberg of KAKE TV, he
theorized that the empty chapters might have been directly linked to
Nancy Fox’s murder date in 1977. He stated that “the chapters BTK left
out, if put together in a specific sequence, would mark the date Nancy
Fox was killed,” 12-8 or December 8th. If this were the case, it would be a vital clue that might provide insight into BTK and the way in which he communicates.

The plastic bag was eventually handed
over to the FBI. Information concerning the remainder of the bag’s
contents has since been withheld from the public in an effort to
maintain the continuity of the ongoing investigation.

BTK Suspect Arrested

Monday, Feb 28 12 p.m. update

Law enforcement in Wichita are 99.9%
sure that the suspect they have in custody, 59-year-old Dennis
Rader, is the BTK killer, but while the tone of the February 26 news
conference morning was confident, very few details of the investigation
were divulged.

The 46 minutes of news conference self
congratulations on “catching” BTK seems a bit misplaced considering
that after 30 years of so-called investigation, police were not even
able to tie three victims (Wegerle, Hedge and Davis) to BTK. Let’s
also not forget that had it not been for his daughter, Kerri
Rader, cooperating with the police before the arrest, there probably
would have been no arrest. It’s hard to understand how so much
investigative effort on the part of Wichita police and the FBI failed
to respond to the obvious clues in Rader’s past that tied in with the
profile that had been developed for BTK:

He went to Wichita State University, where one BTK letter was
photocopied and a Professor P.J. Wyatt had exposed in her classes the
poem “Oh, Death” from which BTK created one of his poems.

He was in the Air Force. It was long speculated that BTK got the
letters from “Born To Kill,” a USAF squadron term. He may have met BTK
victim Joseph Otero, also in the Air Force at that time.

He worked at Coleman’s, where two other victims worked

He is an odd guy with a need to exert power and control as
evidenced by the code compliance position he held with the Park City
government. Several of his neighbors have gone on the record calling
him a bureaucratic “bully.” This type of behavior is consistent with a
sadistic serial killer and should have been a red flag to
investigators.

He lived nearby some victims, even on the same street as one of them.

It will be interesting to know if Rader
was on any of the lists of suspects that police had collected over the
past 30 years and, if so, why did they not collect any DNA from him?

It would be very surprising if some
other cold cases don’t turn out to be BTK victims as well. To name a
few that have been listed by Wichita residents on Internet bulletin
boards

“Nov. 12, 1974: Sherry Baker, a Wichita State University student
stabbed in her apartment. Hands tied behind back (with a coiled telephone cord)
No sign of forced entry.

June 29, 1985: Linda Shawn Casey, a Wichita State University student
found dead on the bedroom floor of her home bound, beaten, sexually
assaulted, tabbed repeatedly. No sign of forced entry. At the time, BTK
was mentioned as a possibility but discounted due to the length of time
since his last known victim.

Nov, 12, 1999: Tina Frederick, lived a few blocks from BTK victim Shirley Vian.
Found shot to death in her apartment – lying on a bedroom floor.”

Also, it’s likely that there are even
other BTK victims. Serial killers can’t stop, they just become more
imaginative about hiding their crimes.

District Attorney Nola Foulston said
there is no statute of limitations on murder. However, the dealth
penalty was not approved in Kansas until 1994. No death penalty applies
to murder cases committed before 1994. In other words, the BTK
case may not a capital case, unless they can tie him to new murders
that occurred in 1994 or later.

Prosecutors will not be discussing the
case publically after any charges are filed, Foulston said, to ensure
that information released does not harm the trial.

Dennis Rader, suspect

Two new victims have been uncovered in the investigation, bringing the number of BTK victims from eight to ten.

Marine Hedge, victim

The two victims most recently attributed to Rader have been identified as Marine Hedge, 53, and Delores “Dee” Davis, 62. The Wichita Eagle
reported that Hedge was abducted from her home on Independence Street
in Park City on April 27, 1985. She had been strangled by a pair of
pantyhose and found eight days later on a rural dirt road near 143rd East and 37th
North Street. The article stated that the case bore marked
similarities to several other BTK murders in that, “the phone line at
Hedge’s home was cut” and her car had been driven from the crime scene
to another location. Roxana Hegeman of The Associated Press claimed
that Rader actually lived on the same street as Hedge.

Delores Davis, victim

Delores Davis was abducted from her home on January 19, 1991 and found 13 days later under a bridge on 117th
Street North near Meridian, Kansas. Her hands and feet had been bound
with the pantyhose that were used to strangle her. According to the Wichita Eagle,
her murderer cut the phone line at her home and “then threw a brick
through a glass door at the rear of her home to get inside.” After
disposing of Davis’ body, the killer drove her car to another location
and abandoned it. Davis’ murder remained unsolved for more than a
decade.

In 2004, there was a great deal of
excitement when police arrested a man that the media believed was
connected to the BTK case. At around 7:30 in the evening on December
1, 2004 after a day of heavy surveillance, police arrested a
64-year-old man at his south Wichita residence. It was initially
reported that the arrest was made in connection with the BTK case and
was prompted by a tip off from an unidentified caller into the BTK
information hotline. However, investigators later denied that the man
arrested was in any way linked to the murder investigation.

Who is Dennis Rader?

Monday, Feb. 28 8:50 a.m. update

Dennis Rader, Mugshot

After 31-years, the identity of Wichita,
Kansas’ most notorious serial killer, known as BTK, was made public
after the suspect’s arrest on February 26, 2005. Dennis L. Rader, 59,
of Park City, Kansas was taken into custody after having been stopped at
a traffic light near his home on East Kechi Road shortly after noon
that day. Even though formal charges have not yet been filed, the
authorities said, “they would ask prosecutors to file 10 counts of
first degree murder against Rader, including two murders in Park City
that had not previously been attributed to the BTK killer,” it was
reported in a February 26th MSNBC article.

Police Chief Norman Williams

The question now on everyone’s lips is,
“Who is Dennis L. Rader?” Relatively little is know about him,
especially since prosecutors are reluctant to divulge too much
information, which could harm the up-coming trial. What is certain is
that Rader spent most of his life in Park City.

Rader was born in 1945 and grew up in
Wichita along with three brothers, all of whom graduated from Heights
High School in Wichita.

Rader was in the Air Force in Viertnam
from 1965 to 1969. Joseph Otero, BTK’s victim, was also in the Air
Force at the same time.

Rader worked in the meat department for a
Park City grocery store and then as an assembler at the Coleman
camping gear firm between 1971 and 1973, where he met two of his
earlier victims, Mike Brunker reported in a MSNBC article.

He worked at ADT Security Services from
1974 through 1989. In 1989, he also worked for the U.S. Census bureau
going door-to-door collecting information. While working in both
positions, Rader had access to many area residents’ homes. It is
believed that he might have initially encountered some of his victims
while on the job.

At some point in the 1970s, Rader married
and he and his wife Paula had two children, a boy and girl. At around
the same time, he attended Wichita State University and in 1979
graduated with a degree in Administration of Justice. According to Fox
News, Rader “never became an officer but instead went “into code
enforcement, or what one critic called “a glorified dog catcher.”

In his spare time, Rader lead a Cub
Scouts group and was active in his church. No one imagined he was
capable of doing any harm to anybody. Many referred to him as a kind of
guy who wasn’t very noticeable, one who never really stood out from
others. In fact, it was his ability to “blend in” that allowed him to
go undetected for so many years.

New Revelations

Tuesday, March 1 12:05 PM

Ron Sylvester of The Wichita Eagle and
Frank Witsil of the Detroit Free Press reported today that ‘A Michigan
law enforcement official said Monday that federal agents went to the
home of Dennis Rader’s daughter to take a DNA sample shortly after his
arrest Friday.’

Monday, Feb 28 1:20 p.m. update

Ron Sylvester reported in a February 28,
2005 AP article that investigators believed Dennis Rader was
responsible for 13 murders, although the authorities vehemently deny
this. The article further suggested that at least one of the additional
murders is believed to have occurred after 1994, when the death
penalty was re-instated in the state of Kansas. If police can prove
that a previously unknown victim of BTK was murdered after 1994,
prosecutors can make a good case for seeking the death penalty in this
case, something for which many of the victim’s families are hoping.

Associated Press reported Sunday that a
source close to the investigation that police believed that BTK may have
been responsible for the deaths of two Wichita State University
students and a woman who lived down the street from another BTK victim.
After Wichita Police Chief Norman Williams threatened legal action
against anyone who spread erroneous information, AP modified its report
to say that investigators are “looking into” whether BTK was
responsible for another three killings.

Sedwick County D.A. Nola Foulston
insisted that the information in the modified A.P report is false.
However, if the three cases below are not being investigated by police,
perhaps they should be. After all, the public has learned of three new
BTK victims in the past year: Vicki Wegerle, Marine Hedge, and Dolores
Davis.

Three cases have been posted on Internet
bulletin boards which seem to fit the description of the victims in the
Associated Press article.

“Nov. 12, 1974: Sherry Baker, a Wichita State University student
stabbed in her apartment. Hands tied behind back (with a coiled telephone cord)
No sign of forced entry.

June 29, 1985: Linda Shawn Casey, a Wichita State University student
found dead on the bedroom floor of her home bound, beaten, sexually
assaulted, tabbed repeatedly. No sign of forced entry. At the time, BTK
was mentioned as a possibility but discounted due to the length of time
since his last known victim.

Nov, 12, 1999: Tina Frederick, lived a few blocks from BTK victim Shirley Vian.
Found shot to death in her apartment – lying on a bedroom floor.”

It has also been revealed that at the
time Rader worked for the security company ADT between 1974 and 1989,
he “held positions that allowed him access to customers’ homes,
including a role as an installation manager,” the Associated Press
reported on February 27th. A majority of the murders
attributed to BTK have occurred during the period that Rader was
employed by the company. Thus, it is possible that he used his position
to seek out potential victims.

The Wichita Eagle wrote that ”Rader
worked at ADT Security Services. Nobody who worked with Rader during
his 15 years with the company could stand him, according to several
former co-workers.”

Dennis Rader is a very polarizing
figure: they either hated him or like him. As the Wichita Eagle
reported, some people saw him as “arrogant, by-the-numbers, rude and
confrontational. Others said he is efficient, nice, friendly and a
regular guy.”

Rader’s bail has been set at a whopping
$10 million, which will be set or changed during his next court hearing
scheduled in the upcoming days. At that time, the 10 first-degree
murder charges against him will be formally filed. Since there has been
no indication, as of yet, that Rader has hired or asked for a lawyer,
there is a chance that the court will have to appoint him one.
Regardless, the lawyer will need time to review the case, which will
likely prolong the hearing date, the Associated Press reported.

Initially broadcast reports indicated
that not only did Kerri Rader provide DNA samples to investigators, she
had actually gone to the police to voice suspicions about her father
being BTK. This allegation is denied by the Rader family and police.
This ordeal has had a devastating effect on the Rader family, which is
reportedly out of state in seclusion.

According to the Wichita Eagle, BTK’s
most recent communication was sent to the Fox News Wichita affiliate in
mid February. Inside the package was a necklace, computer disk, and a
copy of the cover of the 1989 John Sandford novel entitled “Rules of
Prey.” The story is about a serial killer called “the maddog.”

Exercising Power and Control

Tuesday, Mar. 03 7:50 a.m. update

Rader was a Compliance Supervisor in Park City

In most cases, serial killers are
primarily motivated by the need for power and control. Rader was no
different and often flaunted his self-perceived supremacy in his work
and in everyday activities. At the time of Rader’s arrest, he was
employed by Park City as a compliance supervisor, which involved
“animal control, inoperable vehicles, general code compliance and
nuisances.” However, if there was anyone a nuisance, Rader’s neighbors
claimed it was he.

Fox News said that Rader was often
referred to as a “bureaucratic bully” who would go “out of his way to
find reasons to give people citations.” It was further reported that he
would go around filming his neighbors in the hopes of catching them
committing some minor transgression. He even measured the grass of one
woman he disliked, in order to catch her in violation of a city
ordinance.

According to Fred Mann and Les Anderson’s article in the Wichita Eagle,
two Park City residents, Sarah Gordon and her sister Hearther Herrera,
had a “run-in” with Rader at their garage sale in the summer of 2004
because they didn’t have a license for it. Rader reportedly told the
women, “You don’t want to mess with me. I’m nobody to mess with.” He
wasn’t kidding.

ABC News reported that Donna Barry, a
neighbor of Rader’s who has known him and his family since she was a
child, had seen a darker side of Rader.

“Barry said she and her children were out
on their front lawn one day, and a neighbor from across the street was
outside with his dog. In his capacity as a dog catcher and ordinance
officer, Barry said Rader approached the dog and allegedly tried to mace
it.

“But, according to Barry, the ‘wind blew
the mace back in his face.’ She says Rader groped for his tranquilizer
gun, but couldn’t get to it. That’s when he allegedly pulled out a gun
and shot the dog.”

Other than the dog incident, “He was
generally a really nice gentleman,” she said. “I’ve known him since I
was probably four or five years old. You know, he was the kind of
neighbor that you could go down the road and he would stay up and talk
to you and open the door for you and hold a conversation.”

The Wichita Eagle reported that
“several Park City residents and former co-workers described Rader as
egotistical and arrogant – a by-the-book person who pays attention to
detail. The descriptions in many ways matched those offered by criminal
profilers who have studied BTK. Charlie Otero, whose parents and
sister were BTK’s first known victims, believes that if Rader is BTK,
he should get the death penalty.

Rader Court Hearing

Tuesday, Mar. 03 3:50 p.m. update

Rader on closed-circuit TV, being informed of the charges against him

On March 1, 2005, BTK suspect, Dennis L.
Rader, appeared on a closed-circuit television in Sedgwick County’s
District Court to hear the 10 first-degree murder charges filed against
him in the murders attributed to the BTK Strangler. Public Defender
Steve Osburn, Public Defender Jama Mitchell and Assistant Public
Defender Sarah McKinno were the court-appointed lawyers that Judge Greg
Waller assigned to represent Dennis Rader during the hearing, the
Wichita Eagle reported. The prosecution team will consist of attorneys
Kevin O’Connor, Kim Parker and Aaron Smith. Even though the preliminary
hearing has been set for mid-March, the Rader defense team will likely
need more time to prepare for the case. Thus, the hearing might be
pushed up to a later date.

Wichita’s KAKE-TV reported that Dennis
Rader confessed to some but not all of the crimes, yet the report has
not yet been substantiated. In the days following Dennis Rader’s
arrest, there was a great deal of controversy concerning whether
Rader’s daughter played a role in his capture. Previously it was widely
reported that Kerri Rader, 26, turned her father in and supplied the
authorities with DNA samples in mid-February, which allegedly led to
her father’s arrest. However, according to Sylvester and Witsel’s more
recent article in the Wichita Eagle, Farmington, Michigan Police Chief
Charles Nebus revealed that Kerri Rader actually supplied FBI agents
with her DNA after her father had already been arrested, which
makes it less likely that she played a direct role, if any, in her
father’s capture.

Interestingly, David Twiddy reported
that Nebus “told The Associated Press that he didn’t tell the
newspapers a DNA test was being conducted.” Even more intriguing is on
a March 2nd Fox News interviewed KAKE-TV anchor Larry
Hatteberg who said that a credible source told him that Kerri
Rader’s DNA was collected when her father was under surveillance and
that the results of the test were instrumental in Rader’s arrest. To
date, the facts remain unclear whether the DNA was obtained prior to or
after Dennis Rader was taken into custody.

The police claimed that it wasn’t Kerri
Rader that led to his arrest but a computer disk that he mailed in a
package along with other items to the Wichita television station KSAS.
CNN reported that the computer disk was scrutinized by investigators
and traced to the Lutheran church, where Dennis Rader presided over the
assembly. Police technicians were able to “electronically peel back”
information that was thought to have been erased, leading to the
discovery of Dennis Rader’s name, it was further reported.

To date, the authorities continue to
search for evidence that could be used in the case against
Rader. Dennis Rader’s house has since been searched and several items
confiscated, including his computer. Sylvester and Witsel said that
metal detectors and shovels are also being used to search areas near
Rader’s house in the hopes of finding even more evidence. Hatteberg
said during the Fox News interview that Wichita’s sheriff has actually
found new evidence that might be linked to the Dennis Rader BTK case
but it is unclear what exactly has been discovered.

New Clues

On March 1, 2005, Wichita television
station KAKE-TV released information, previously withheld by the police
request, concerning the white trash bag BTK left in Murdock Park in
December 2004. According to KAKE-TV, the bag’s contents contained, a
Barbie brand doll known as “PJ,” which had a bag over its head, its
hands tied behind its back and the feet bound by panty hose. The manner
in which the doll was bound was similar to the way BTK tied up his
victims before murdering them.

The name of the doll he chose was
significant because its initials were that of Wichita State University
English literature professor P.J. Wyatt, whom he referred to in earlier
communications. At the time the bag was found it was revealed that
Nancy Fox’s driver license was in it, as well as a list of “BTK”
chapters based on the Crime Library story on the BTK killings. Dana
Strongin reported in the Wichita Eagle that “the police asked KAKE-TV
to keep the doll secret” for fear that it might incite BTK to commit
more murders.

KAKE-TV also revealed a puzzle BTK sent
in a May 2004 communication that contained some 40 words and strings of
numbers. According to the television station, some of the words hidden
in the puzzle included, prowl, fantasies, spot victims, steam builds,
go for it, Wichita spelled backwards, help, handyman and lost pet. What
is most interesting is that BTK may have left important clues to his
identity. KAKE-TV said that Rader’s house number “6220″ and his name “D
Rader” appeared in the puzzle.

BTK Messages Revealed

In 2005, there were several other BTK
communications discovered. On January 25, 2005 a tip off to KAKE-TV led
to the detection of “a suspicious package” on “a dirt road that runs
between 69th and 77th Street North,” the
television station revealed in an article on the BTK serial killer
case. The package, which was sent by BTK, contained a Post Toasties
cereal box with several items of jewelry were eventually turned over to
the FBI. The FBI later confirmed that the package was indeed from the
Wichita serial killer known as BTK.

Earlier in January and again in February
a postcard was sent by BTK to the television station. Jeanene
Kiesling reported in her KAKE-TV article that the two BTK postcards
were similar in layout and directed the reader to the Post Toasties
cereal box that was found on January 25th. BTK then sent
KAKE-TV another post card, which thanked them for their quick response
and also asked them to relate some information to the Wichita Police
Department, the report further stated.

Then several weeks later in February,
Fox News’ KSAS-TV affliate received a padded manila envelope sent by
BTK, which contained a necklace, a letter and another unidentified item
inside, Fox 4 News reported. It is believed that the necklace belonged
to one of BTK’s victims but it is not clear which one. The package,
which was BTK’s seventh communication, was handed over to the police
for analysis.

BTK’s choice of MO-ID-RUSE probably
relates to his use of fake IDs, such as the telephone company employee
ID he sent in previous communications, as his MO modus operandi. In
previous messages BTK used the terminology MO. In all probability, BTK
used the fake IDs to obtain entrance to his victims’ homes.

Interestingly, in Dennis Rader’s
capacity as a compliance officer for Park City and an installer for a
security alarm company, Rader, if he is BTK, may have used his business
cards in those two roles to gain admission to victims’ homes.

Kerri Rader’s DNA

Seldom in recent history has a story been so convoluted and controversial.

At first, media sources reported that
Kerri Rader, Dennis Rader’s 26-year-old daughter, had grave suspicions
about her father and had gone to the police with them.

Then, other sources said that Kerri Rader
was approached by federal agents in Michigan, where Kerri Rader lives,
to provide a DNA sample after Dennis Rader’s arrest. Later, other sources said that she provided the DNA sample before the arrest of her father.

Now comes an entirely new twist from Tim
Potter of the Wichita Eagle: he reports that Kansas tissue samples of
Kerri Rader were subpoenaed for her DNA without her knowledge.

Allegedly, according to Rev. Michael
Clark, the pastor of Dennis Rader’s church, Kerri Rader “gave the DNA
for the purpose of clearing her dad.” Clark understood Kerri Rader to be
very upset that she was somehow caught in the middle of all of this
controversy.

It’s increasingly difficult to know what story, if any, is true.

Typically, D.A. Nora Foulston has
declined to comment on this report. Foulston, who had promised to be
forthcoming with information, has not fulfilled her obligation.

Digital Footprints

For as long as computers have been
around, so has the science of computer forensics. It is a science that
has been used for various purposes, especially compiling electronic
evidence for use in criminal investigations. The BTK case is no
different. Investigators in the case have claimed that the use of
computer forensics is one of the methods used to bring BTK suspect
Dennis Rader to justice.

Many believe that when they erase a
document from their computer or floppy disk the evidence is lost
forever. This is usually not the case. In fact, David Stenhouse, a
computer investigator at Seattle’s University of Washington said that,
“a savvy investigator with the right tools can fairly easily
reconstruct information that the user thought had been deleted,” Dion
Lefler of the Wichita Eagle reported.

According to an article by Joan Feldman
and Roger Kohn of Computer Forensics Inc., computer-based evidence that
has been recently deleted (residual data) can be recovered up until
the time it is “overwritten with data from a newly saved file or until
it is ‘wiped’ by specialized programs.” In the case of the diskette and
church computer allegedly used by Rader, this was not the case.
Investigators were able to recover, at least partially, the digital
footprints left behind when he purportedly wrote a message to Wichita
Fox News affiliate station KSAS on February 16, 2005. When they
recovered the data and contacted the church whose name was on the disk,
Rader’s name is purported to have popped up, leading to his arrest as
key suspect in the BTK case. It is believed that their case was further
strengthened by DNA evidence obtained either prior to or after Rader’s
arrest.

The precise evidence compiled against
Rader, which eventually lead to his arrest is vague and the various
theories surrounding it unsubstantiated. It is likely to remain that
way for some time, at least until the case goes to trial. Lefler stated
in another Wichita Eagle article that District Judge Greg Waller who
is presiding over the BTK case has “issued a pair of orders” sealing
the files that explain why Rader was arrested. The reason why the judge
has issued the orders has been publicly withheld but the report stated
that one reason is to prevent such disclosure from damaging the
ongoing case against Rader.

District Judge Greg Waller

The order to keep Rader’s files closed
has left many, especially the media, in an uproar. At present,
information concerning the case has been wrought with inaccuracies and
false reports. The Wichita Eagle, who has requested more information
into Rader’s arrest in an open letter to the judge, believes that the
release of data might “quell much of the rumor and speculation that is
currently running rampant.”

BTK’s Signature

Undoubtedly, BTK didn’t want anyone to
take the credit for the murders he committed. He was actually proud of
his horrific actions. No where was it more evident then when he
arrogantly signed his initials to many of the communications that were
sent to Wichita media outlets.

According to Tim Potter’s Kansas City
Star article, only a select few working on the investigation ever knew
that BTK signed his name in a “sexually suggestive configuration” in
which he “stacked the ‘B,’ ‘T’ and ‘K’ from top to bottom with the ‘B’
shaped to look like a woman’s breasts.” The signature was deliberately
kept from the public so that investigators could weed out possible
copycat letters from authentic BTK communications, the report further
suggested. Even though a large majority of the letters bore the BTK
symbol, some of the communications did not.

BTK signature, image re-created

Potter stated that the communications
were evaluated by asking three specific questions and if most of the
criteria were met then chances were high that the letter was from the
murderer:

·Do the contents reveal knowledge only the killer would possess?

Do the messages show a continuity, where each communication builds on past ones?

Do they repeatedly use certain words or symbols, including a logo or signature (such as the BTK signature)?

Investigators realized that the more
communication they could establish with BTK, the more likely it would
be that he would slip up and provide them with valuable information
concerning his identity. Sometimes, investigators actually initiated
contact by placing an advertisement in the newspaper.

In 1974, the police put an ad in the
Wichita Eagle that read “B.T.K. Help is available,” Stan Finger and Tim
Potter reported 29 years later in the same paper. There was no known
response to the police statement but in 1986 there was a suspicious ad
that read, “Relief from Factor X is available at: P.O. Box 48265,” the
report stated. Interestingly, in a 1978 communication sent from BTK to
KAKE-News, he wrote that he was driven by “Factor X” to commit the
murders. Thus, it is highly likely that BTK used the ads as another
means of communicating to the public.

Those Who Remain

It was the day they waited for ever since
their loved ones were brutally torn from them years earlier by the
hands of a ruthless serial killer. The arrest of BTK suspect Dennis
Rader finally allowed the victims’ families to put a face on their
source of anger and pain but has done little to alleviate the loss that
they all feel on a daily basis. The victims’ families have experienced
a mixture of anguish and joy, although most have cautiously suspended
their relief and continue to hold out for justice, which still has yet
to be served.

For Deloris Davis’ son, Jeff, relief and
justice are emotions he won’t ascribe to Rader’s capture. He was
quoted by Eyewitnesses News in Memphis, Tennessee saying, “I don’t use
the word relief because it’s notI don’t use the word justice because
it’s neither until he (Rader) rots in hell.” His chief emotion is
anger, quickly followed by a thirst for revenge. He was further quoted
saying, “I’m going to enjoy every step of the road that he takes before
they crucify him.” Many of the victims’ family members share Jeff’s
feelings of outrage and hostility.

Most of the victims’ surviving children
have had difficulty moving past the trauma that abruptly altered their
lives forever despite Rader’s capture. Steve Relford, the son of
Shirley Vian, suggested that he’s only somewhat relieved by the arrest
of his mother’s alleged murderer because he still has yet to be brought
to justice, CNN reported. According to the article on March 17, 1977,
Steve, then 5 years old unknowingly let the killer into the family
home. He watched in horror from the bathroom where he and his two
siblings were held prisoner as his mother was tied up and strangled to
death. “Nearly 28 years later he is still haunted by what happened” but
since Rader’s arrest Steve has been able to finally visit the home
where his mother was murdered for the first time. It’s at least one
step forward in a lengthy healing process.

Charlie Otero and his sister, Carmen,
were overjoyed at Rader’s arrest more than 30 years after their
brother, sister and parents’ vicious murder. Wichita television station
KSNW quoted Carmen saying, “Thirty years is a long time. I’m pretty
relieved—a lot of mixed emotions.” Charlie said Rader’s capture was “a
bittersweet victory” for the family that has been long overdue, it was
reported.

Even though some the emotional scars are
just beginning to heal, the physical scars still remain with Kevin
Bright. In 1974, he and his sister Kathryn came home to find BTK waiting
for them. A man who resembled Rader bound Kathryn, 21, with cord,
stabbed then strangled her to death and then shot Kevin, then 19, twice.
Miraculously, Kevin survived but he continues to suffer from nerve
damage, CNN reported.

Moreover, he feels anguish and is not
relieved by Rader’s arrest because he’s never claimed responsibility for
her murder. The Kansas City Star quoted Kevin as saying, “I don’t have
closure. I won’t unless he’s (Rader) admitted to the police, unless he
said he killed my sister.” Yet then again, even if he did admit to
hers or other murders it will never bring them back.

Piecing Together the Puzzle

The moment he found his parents murdered
in their bed on January 15, 1974, Charlie Otero, then 15, had a
sneaking suspicion that his father crossed paths with the murderer at
some earlier point in time. In fact, he “suspected the killings had
something to do with his father’s military past,” Tim Potter reported
in an August 2004 Wichita Eagle article. Charlie’s father,
Joseph Otero, served 21 years in the Air Force (between 1952 and 1973)
before retiring and finding work at Wichita’s Rose Hill Airport as an
airplane technician and flight instructor.

There is no telling if Joseph Otero and
his killer ever served together. Yet, what is certain is that BTK
suspect Dennis Rader also served in the Air Force. The two men’s’
careers actually overlapped during a four-year period, lasting between
1966 and 1970. However, there is no evidence that they were ever
stationed at the same base together or even crossed paths, Potter
suggested in a March 2005 Wichita Eagle article. According to
the report, Otero spent most of his time stationed in Panama and Puerto
Rico, whereas Rader was based in San Antonio, Texas, Mobile, Alabama and
Okinawa, Japan.

Even though there is little evidence to
support his theory, Charlie Otero continues to believe that the BTK
killer and his father shared a military past because of a series of
events that occurred days prior to the murders. A December 2004
Associated Press article quoted him saying that at “one time the power
went out” and his father made the family hide in the closet. Moreover,
Joseph tried to give him his ring in case something happened to him.
The report further suggested that Charlie overheard a telephone
conversation that led him to believe that his father’s murder was
directly connected to his military career.

Based on Charlie’s account, it was clear
that immediately prior to the murders, Joseph was terrified that
something dreadful might happen and likely by someone he knew. To date,
investigators are continuing to look for evidence that might link
Rader to Otero during the overlapping period of time they served in the
Air Force. At several police stations near where Rader was stationed,
investigators are searching for murders that might resemble other BTK
crimes. Investigators hope to obtain more insight into whether BTK’s
victims were chosen at random or deliberately targeted. Furthermore,
they hope to determine whether BTK might have committed earlier murders
in other locations prior to 1974.

Nightmare in Wichita

ByMarilyn Bardsley

Attorney Robert Beattie’s book Nightmare in Wichita: The Hunt for the BTK Strangler has strengths and weaknesses.

Its greatest strength is a very detailed
accounting of the individual known BTK murders that began with the
Otero family in 1974. From interviews with police, victim family
members and associates, and journalists, Beattie has gleaned quite a
bit of detail that never got into the newspapers.

Nightmare in Wichita, by Robert Beattie

For example, he learned of some twelve
BTK suspects that the police had at one time under surveillance: among
them were a couple of former police officers, a journalist who
allegedly practiced bondage, an emotionally disturbed Vietnam veteran,
and a former fireman who was said to have bound and tortured a
prostitute. All of the twelve, who remain unnamed in his book, were
cleared, mostly by DNA.

The book starts out strong with a very
comprehensive examination of the Otero family murders, dispelling some
of the myths that have floated around various Internet bulletin boards,
such as there was semen all over the Otero house. Beattie clarifies
that semen was only found at the scene of Josie Otero’s murder, on her
leg and on pipes behind her hanging body.

Despite the grim subject matter, Beattie
inserts some humor when Wichita officials travel to Puerto Rico to
investigate the Otero case and are stopped by customs officials because
of the horrific crime scene photos in their possession.

The further one gets into the chronology
of the case, the less appealing the book becomes. Beattie fills up
many, many pages with his meetings with various individuals that
clearly interested Beattie, but are likely to bore readers. His
excitement about suddenly being interviewed as an expert after BTK
resurfaced in March, 2004, is given much more coverage than the reader
really needs. One gets the feeling that he’s using filler to get to
whatever number of pages he promised.

The most serious weakness in Beattie’s
book is the rush to publish and cash in while the case is so much in
the forefront of public consciousness. The result is that the most
interesting aspect of the case in recent times — the character,
culpability and motivations of suspect Dennis Rader — are barely
addressed. Rader’s personality and his interactions with the community
have been addressed more thoroughly on cable news than the few pages of
information that Beattie has stuck on to the end of his book. As a
reader, I wished that Beattie had published a bit later after more is
learned about the man police have called the BTK Strangler.

This problem is not entirely Beattie’s
but rather the problem created for book authors by Internet sites that
can publish, update and distribute the news around the world in the
speed of light.

Not Guilty — New Chapter

When BTK suspect, Dennis Rader, waived a
preliminary hearing on April 19, 2005, in essence he was conceding that
prosecutors have sufficient evidence to proceed with a full trial.

On May 3 Dennis Rader, dressed in a dark
suit, pleaded not guilty to the charge of murdering ten people in the
BTK serial killings.

Associated Press reported that Rader
chose to stand mute during the brief arraignment and asked District
Court Judge Gregory Waller to enter the plea for him. Waller entered
the not guilty plea and set a trial date for June 27, although most
expect the trial date to eventually be pushed back.

Although DA Nola Foulston indicted she
would like to see the trial begin in the fall of 2005, the trial may
not begin until 2006 because of the preparation time needed by the
prosecution and defense.

Beefed-up security measures had been
taken for Dennis Rader’s May 3 arraignment and Rader had been offered a
bullet-proof vest. Once again media organizations from all over the
country converged on Wichita for this event. Victims family members,
such as Charlie Otero, came to hear the proceedings.

The Wichita Eagle reported that Foulston
“will seek the Hard 40 penalty against Rader on one of the 10 counts
against him. That means if convicted of that murder charge, Rader would
serve at least 40 years before being eligible for parole. Rader is
60.” One the victims, Dolores Davis, was killed in 1991 when the Hard
40 was still in effect in Kansas.

Judge Gregory Waller

The astonishing amount of
controversial secrecy by Wichita law enforcement through the decades in
which the BTK case spanned was briefly continued in the courts with
the sealing of key documents. On April 29, 2005, Sedgwick County
District Court Judge Gregory Waller responded to papers filed by six
media organizations petitioning the court to unseal documents in the
BTK case.

In Kansas, the decision to seal those
documents was supposed to have been made after a hearing. No hearing
was held. DA Nola Foulston and Rader’s legal team had requested that
the documents be sealed so that pretrial publicity did not compromise
any future trial. Judge Waller released all but the probable cause
affidavit April 29.

One of the documents that was unsealed
was the prosecution’s list of 247 names of individuals who may be
called to testify if Rader goes to trial. The list included
investigators, people who knew Rader, relatives of the victims, and
even journalists. Consistent with the quality of the law enforcement
establishment that we have seen thus far in the 30-year-old case, the
list of witnesses included at least five people who, according to the
Wichita Eagle, are dead.

Dennis Rader Uncovered

Many Park City residents have complained
that Dennis Rader used his position as a city compliance officer to try
and assert authority and control over them. Some complained that he
went so far as to harass them. See Chapter 20 “Excercising Power and Control” for more details.

A former Park City resident and mother of two, Misty King, was one such person who lived in fear of Rader’s strange behavior.

According to a KAKE-TV article by Susan
Peters, Rader began stalking King after she divorced from her husband
and when another male friend took up residence with her. Rader became
increasingly irritated. He came to her house on a continuous basis and
bombarded her with numerous citations for not complying with trivial
Park City code regulations, such as keeping her grass under a certain
height, putting a tarp on the car, stacking a woodpile in her backyard
and having an inoperable vehicle in her driveway, the report stated.

Rader listens to Attorney Sarah McKinnon

Peters quoted King who said that when
she asked Rader what she did that was so wrong, he purportedly
responded “Get rid of the boyfriend and everything will go back to the
way it was.”

Matters got worse when he allegedly
started peeping into her windows on occasion and banging on her door
wanting to speak with her. King also suggested in the article that
Rader could have even attempted to gain entry to her house. Yet the
pinnacle was when Rader confiscated the family dog and put him to
sleep, which prompted her to flee Park City with her family.

Rader’s boss told Peters “‘I don’t know why I was never notified of the situation…I would have taken it very seriously.’”

King did notify the police when she
caught Rader peeping, but the police dismissed her complaint. She told
Peters “‘I’m angry because they allowed it to happen. They believed ‘if
you work for the city, you can do no wrong.’”

Creating an Insanity Plea?

During the first week of May 2005, KAKE
TV made public a letter containing two poems which were allegedly
written by Dennis Rader while in prison. The documents were handed over
by a fellow inmate who claimed that he asked Rader to write them for
him so that he could give them to his girlfriend. One of the poems
entitled “Tis’ Spring Out There” was signed “Rader” and the second
poem, titled “Black Friday” was signed “The Suspect.”

The documents bore marked similarities
with previous BTK communications, in that they were written in the same
style and contained “many of his handwriting quirks,” KAKE TV
reported. Rader’s defense attorney Warner Eisenbise said in another
KAKE TV article that “if the poems are from Rader this could be a
calculated move to set up an insanity defense” because he tried to
portray two different personalities by signing the documents
differently. To date, the defense has not filed any motion relating to
an insanity defense but that could, of course, change.

Tis’ Spring Out There

oh, to walk among the new season,

to heard a robin voice,

to see a dandelion bright,

to watch a butterfly flight,

to smell a simple flower bud,

oh spring these are the many reasons.

Black Friday

Just a quick glance and I knew all was lost.

I saw in real life…now a on going mind view, the black and white, were now my new boss.

I saw my life as I know quickly fade away.

I saw my love ones, in mind and thoughts
that I would never be able to touch, hold, communicate closely with
and kiss with care will now be at bay.

I saw the Black Side of me, was now caught and others would not suffer from my lots,

But then it dawn on me, it was not as I thought.

Yes the other in me will cause no suffering.

The living remained, the Mother, Brother, Sisters, Children, Close Friends and wife will suffer.

Ands the real me of blood, flesh and mind will suffer.

The documents will likely be revealed at
trial, along with other evidence compiled over the last 31 years.
According to Ron Sylvester of The Wichita Eagle, the state has recently
shared with the defense at least 45 discs containing vital information
about Rader and the murders he is alleged to have committed. They are
hoping that his attorneys will also hand over any evidence they might
have, such as “copies of expert reports and mental exams” so that they
can use it to further their case, Sylvester reported. It is not known
when the trial will commence but it is expected to take place sometime
between the fall of 2005 and mid-year 2006.

Surprise Confession Otero Murders

Dennis Rader in court

On Monday, June 27, to everyone’s
surprise, Dennis Rader confessed in court to the murder of ten people.
It had been expected that he would plead guilty once his lawyers had
ruled out defense on the basis of insanity.

Rader’s chillingly graphic testimony was
prompted by particularly pointed questions by Judge Waller, beginning
with the murders of the four Oteros. Rader said he went to their home
early in the morning, between 7 and 7:30. He claims that he did not know
them, but that he had selected Mrs. Otero and her daughter Josephine
to be participants in his sexual fantasy. He had planned the timing
expecting that only Mrs. Otero and the two youngest children would be in
the house. He never expected Mr. Otero to be there and it caused him
to panic and “lose control.”

That morning, he cut the phone lines and
waited at the back door. He claimed he was having second thoughts
about aborting the whole plan when Joseph Otero Jr. opened the back
door to let the dog out, but then he went on to say that he went in the
back door, pulled a pistol on the family. The dog didn’t take kindly
to him and so he insisted that the dog be put out side.

Joseph Otero

Rader told them that he was wanted by the police and needed food and a car. Otero offered him a car.

At this point in his confession, Dennis
Rader made a very unusual statement: “There I realized that, you know, I
didn’t have a mask on or anything, that they could ID me, so I made a
decision to go ahead and put ‘em down, I guess, or strangle them.”
What he is suggesting is that his intent was to engage in some type of
sexual assault and then leave with the victims alive. It is incredible
that someone as intelligent as Dennis Rader is and the amount of
preparation he made for this attack that he didn’t realize in advance
that they could identify him, forcing him to casually decide to “put
‘em down.” The word choice, “put ‘em down,” is used for euthanizing
animals and that’s all they were to a man like Dennis Rader.

First he put a plastic bag over Joseph
Otero’s head and tightened it with cords — which he brought along with
him for this purpose, but Otero did not die right away.

By that time, the whole family, had panicked.

Julie Otero

Then came another telling statement:
“Rader: After that I did Mrs. Otero… I had never strangled anyone
before, so I really didn’t know how much pressure you have to put on a
person or how long it would take…” Again, Rader gives himself away in
his choice of words — “.did Mrs. Otero” — as though it was a routine
exercise.

Joseph Otero began to put up a fight and
tore a hole in the plastic bag, so Rader put another couple bags and
some clothing over his head and tightened the cords. After that, Rader
said he “worked pretty quick.” “Well, I mean I strangled Mrs. Otero…
she went out, passed out and I thought she was dead. I strangled
Josephine and she passed out… I thought she was dead and then I went
over and put a bag on Jr.’ s head and then if I remember right, Mrs.
Otero came back… she came back, and I went back and strangled her
again, it finally killed her at that time.”

When Judge Waller asked for clarification
in the sequence of events, Rader replied: “First of all, Mr. Otero was
strangled… a bag put over his head and strangled him. Then, I thought
he was going down. Then I went over and strangled Mrs. Otero, and I
thought she was down. Then I strangled Josephine and she was down and
then I went over to Jr. and put the bag on his head. After that, Mrs.
Otero woke back up and you know, she was pretty upset with what’s going
on and at that point in time, I strangled her… the death strangle at
that time.” But before Rader strangled Mrs. Otero again, she pleaded
with him to save her son.

Joseph Otero Jr.

Rader went on to say “.so I actually had
taken the bag off. I was really upset at that point in time. So
basically, Mr. Otero was down, Mrs. Otero was down, then I went ahead
and took Junior, I put another bag over his head and took him into the
other bedroom. Put a bag over his head, put a cloth over his head, a
T-shirt and bag so he couldn’t tear a hole in it. He subsequently died
from that. I went back up, Josephine had woke back up ”He then took
Josephine to the basement and “hung her.” He told the judge that after
she was hung, he had some sexual fantasies — he masturbated on her
body.

Josephine Otero

The judge asked Rader what he did next
and Rader made another telling statement: “I went through the house,
kinda cleaned it up: It’s called the right-hand rule, you go from room
to room clean things up. I think I took Mr. Otero’s watch. I guess I
took a radio. I had forgot about that but apparently took a radio.”
Very efficient, procedural and premeditated. Perhaps Rader practiced
the right-hand rule in the Air Force. Finally, after he had cleaned up,
Rader took the Otero’s car and parked it at Dillons and walked back to
his car.

Confession: Kathryn Bright

Kathryn Bright

After the Oteros, came the April 4,
1974, murder of Kathryn Bright. When the judge asked how Rader selected
her, he explained to the court that he had a number of “projects,
different people I followed, watched. Kathryn Bright was one of the
next targetsWell, I was just driving by one day and saw her go into the
house with somebody else and I thought that was a possibility — there
was many places in the area, College Hill, they are all over Wichita —
but anyway, it was just basically a selection process, work toward it,
if it didn’t work, I just move on to something else. But in my kind of
person — stalking and trolling — you go through the trolling stage and
then stalking stage. She was in the stalking stage when this happened.”

He broke into the house and waited for
her to come home, not expecting her to have a man with her. He pulled a
handgun on them and used the same excuse he used on the Oteros —he was
a wanted man, needed a car. He recalled that he had Kevin Bright,
Kathryn’s brother, tie her up and then Rader tied up Kevin’s feet to
the bedpost.

Kevin Bright

Then, Rader described what would be
almost a comedy of errors had the situation not been fatal. Rader moved
Kathryn to another bedroom and then went back to strangle Kevin but
Kevin had loosened some of his bonds and started to struggle with
Rader. Rader shot him and assumed he was dead. He then went back to
strangle Kathryn, but she had not been tied up well and struggled with
Rader too. Just as he thought he had Kathryn subdued, he heard Kevin in
the other bedroom. When Rader tried to restrangle Kevin, the struggle
started again. Kevin tried to get one of the two handguns Rader had
with him and almost succeeded, but Rader took the other handgun and
shot Kevin again. Believing that Kevin was finally “down for good that
time,” he went back to “finish the job on Kathryn. She continued to
struggle so Rader stabbed her several times underneath the ribs.

At the same time, he heard Kevin
escaping: ”all of a sudden the front door of the house was open and
he was gone, and oh, I tell you what I thought: I thought the police
were coming at that time, that was it. I stepped out there; I could see
him running down the street, so I quickly cleaned up everything that I
could and left.”

Rader’s troubles didn’t end there: “I
already had the keys to the cars. I thought I had the right keys to the
right car. I ran out to their car. I think it was a pickup out there, I
tried it… it didn’t work. At that point in time he was gone, running
down the street and I thought, ‘Well, I am in trouble,’ so I tried it,
it didn’t work, so I just took off, ran, went east, and worked back
towards the WSU campus where my car was parked.”

Judge Waller made a point of asking
Rader if he had brought a mask to Kathryn Bright’s home. Rader said he
did not. With this question, the judge highlights Rader’s premeditated
intent to kill Kathryn Bright.

Confession: Shirley Vian Relford

Shirley Vian Relford

Dennis Rader claimed that the selection
of Shirley Vian Relford on March 17, 1977 “was completely random. There
was actually someone across from Dillons that was a potential target.
It was called project Green, I thinkThat particular day I drove over to
Dillons and parked in the parking lot and watched this particular
residence and then got out of the car and walked over to it. I knocked
and no one answered it.”

Rader says he was “all keyed up” and so
he walked around the neighborhood until he met a young boy, Shirley
Relford’s son, and asked him to identify some photos. Then Rader went
to another address, knocked on the door, but nobody answered, so he
went to the house where the boy went.

Rader answered: “Potential hits. In my
world, that is what I call them. Project — hitsI had a lot of them, so
if one didn’t work out, I just moved to another one.

When Relford or one of her children
answered the door, Rader said he was a private detective. He showed the
photograph that I had just showed the boy. Then with his pistol, he
forced his way in the door.

He told Relford that he had a problem
with sexual fantasies and was going to tie her up and maybe her kids
too. She was extremely nervous. Rader then described what he did to her
and the children: “I explained that I had done this before and at that
point in time, I think she was sick. She had her night robe on. If I
can remember right, she had been sick and I think she came out of the
bedroom when I went in the house. So we went to back to her bedroom and
I proceeded to tie the kids up. They started crying and got real
upset. So I knew this was not going to work. So we moved them to the
bathroom —she helped me — and I tied the doors shut. We put some toys
and blankets, odds and ends, in there for the kids, make them as
comfortable as we could. We tied one of the bathroom doors shut so they
couldn’t open it, and she went back and helped me shove the bed
against the other bathroom door. I proceed to tie her up. She got sick,
threw up. I got her a glass of water, comforted her a little bit and
then went ahead and tied her up and put a bag over her head and
strangled her. I had tied her legs to the bedpost and worked my way up
and what I had left over [rope] and I think I looped it over her neck.

Rader said the children were making a
lot of noise and then the phone rang. The children had mentioned that a
neighbor was going to look in on them, so Rader put his tape, cords
and other items back in his briefcase, which he called his “hit kit,”
and went back to his car in the Dillons parking lot.

Confession: Nancy Fox

Nancy Fox

When Rader got to the murder of Nancy
Fox on December 8, 1977, he admitted that she had been one of his
“projects.” He explained to the judge that serial killers go through
phases: first trolling, where they are looking for victims, and then
stalking when they “lock in on a certain person.”

Rader then described his serial killer
methodology: “First, she was spotted. I did a little homework. I
dropped by once to check her mailbox, to see what her name was. Found
out where she worked, stopped by there once, Helzbergs. Sized her up.
The more I knew about a person, the more I felt comfortable. So I did
that a couple of times. Then, I just selected a night, which was this
particular night, to try it and it worked out.”

Rader knew what time she normally came
home from work, so after he ascertained that no one was in her
apartment, he cut the phone lines and broke in the back of her home. He
waited for her in the kitchen.

Rader said that when she came home, ” I
confronted her, told her I had a problem, sexual problem, that I would
have to tie her up and have sex with her. She was a little upset and we
talked awhile and she smoked a cigarette. While we smoked a cigarette,
I went through her purse identifying some stuff, and she finally said,
well let’s get this over with so I can call the police. So I said OK.
She said, can I go to the bathroom. I said yes. She went to the
bathroom. And I told her when she came out, make sure she was
undressed. When she came out I handcuffed her, had her lay on the bed
and I tied her feet. I was also undressed to a certain degree and then I
got on top of her and I reached over, took either her feet were tied
or not tied but I think I had a belt. Anyway, I took the belt and
strangled her at that time.

Rader: After I strangled her with the
belt, I took the belt off and retied that with panty hose, real tight,
removed the handcuffs and tied those with pantyhose. I can’t remember
the colors right now. I think I may have retied her feet. They were
probably already tied, her feet were. And then at that time, I
masturbated.

Afterwards, Rader took some personal
items of hers, cleaned up any evidence he might have left and went to
his car that he had parked several blocks away.

Confession: Marine Hedge

Marine Hedge

Marine Hedge lived down the street from
Dennis Rader and once he selected her as a potential victim, it was
easy for him to keep tabs on her. They knew each other in a very casual
way. She worked in her yard a great deal and he would say “hello” when
he walked by.

On the night of her murder, he quietly
broke into her house and waited for her to return. When she came home,
she had a man with her who stayed about an hour. Rader says: “I waited
until the wee hours of the morning and then proceeded to sneak into her
bedroom and flip the lights on real quick like, I think the bathroom
lights. I didn’t want to flip her lights on. She screamed. I jumped on
the bed and strangled her manually.

“After that, since I was still in the
sexual fantasy, I went ahead and stripped her. I am not sure if I tied
her up at that point in time, but she was nude. I put her on a blanket,
went through her purse, and personal items in the house. I figured out
how I was going to get her out of there. Eventually, I moved her to
the trunk of the car—the trunk of her car—and took the car over to
Christ Lutheran Church, this was the older church, and took some
pictures of herin different forms of bondage and that is what probably
got me in trouble is the bondage thing. But anyway then I moved her
back out to her car.”

He thought about where he was going to dump her body and found a ditch around 53rd between Webb and Greenwich where he hid her body with some trees and brush over it.

Confession: Vicki Wegerle

Vicki Wegerle

Vicki Wegerle was another of Dennis
Rader’s “projects.” He planned to tell her he was a telephone repair
man as a ruse to get into the house, so he changed into what he called
his “hit clothes”:

“Basically things I would need to get
rid of later. Not the same kind of clothes I had on. I don’t know what
better word to use, crime clothes, I just call them hit clothes. I
walked from my car as a telephone repairman. As I walked there, I
donned a telephone helmet, I had a briefcase — I went to one other
address just to kind of size up the house. I had walked by it a couple
of times, but I wanted to size it up more. As I approached it, I could
hear a piano sound and I went to this other door and knocked on it and
told them that we were recently working on telephone repairs in the
area. Went to hers, knocked on the door, asked her if I could come
check her telephone lines inside.

“I went over and found out where the
telephone was and simulated that I was checking the telephone. I had a
make-believe instrument. And after she was looking away, I drew a
pistol on her.”

Rader told her to go back to the bedroom
where he was going to tie her up. He used some fabric in her bedroom
to tie her hands, but they came loose and she tried to fight him off.
He grabbed one of her stockings and strangled her with it until she
stopped moving. When he thought she was dead, he rearranged her clothes
and took several photos of her.

Again, Rader had to make a hasty retreat:

“There was a lot of commotion. She had
mentioned something about her husband coming home, so I got out of
there pretty quick. The dogs were raising a lot of Cain in the back,
the doors and windows were all open in the house, and a lot of noise
when we were fighting. So I left pretty quick after that, put
everything in the briefcase, and I had already gone through her purse
and got the keys to the car and used it.”

Vicki Wegerle was fatally injured from the strangling but was not yet dead when Rader left her home.

Confession: Dolores Davis

Dolores Davis

Dennis Rader chose a very noisy way to
get into the house of Dolores Davis. He threw a concrete block through
her plate glass window to get in:

“She came out of the bedroom and thought
a car had hit her house. I told her that I was, uh, I used the ruse of
that I was wanted, on the run. That I needed food, car, warmth and I
asked her, I handcuffed her, I told her I would like to get some food,
the keys to her car, talked with her a little bit, calmed her down a
little bit, and eventually I checked… I think she was still handcuffed.
I went back and checked out where the car was, simulated getting some
food, odds and ends in the house like I was leaving, went back, removed
her handcuffs, then tied her up, and then eventually strangled her.”

Like in most of the other murders, he
took some personal items from her bedroom. He put her in a blanket and
dragged her to the trunk of her car and hoisted her into the trunk and
moved her to one place and then took his “hit” equipment to another
place. This time, Rader’s own commitments rushed him and he left one of
his guns in her house, so he took her car back to her house, collected
his gun, and walked back to his car. He then picked up Davis’ body and
dumped it under a bridge.

Judge Waller

At the end of his confession, Judge
Waller asked him: So, all of these incidents, these 10 counts occurred
because you wanted to satisfy sexual fantasies. Is that correct?

Rader answered yes.

The Psychopathic Mind

When Dennis Rader made his unexpected
confession in court, he unintentionally revealed to the world his true
psychopathic nature. While the nature and delivery of his testimony
would not surprise most medical and law enforcement professionals, the
rest of the world was shocked.

Psychopaths do not feel emotions the way
normal people do. Consequently, when their guard is down, they may say
or do things that reveal their lack of concern for others and their
absence of conscience. This was the case when Rader described his
victims as “projects” and calmly explained how he selected a victim,
gave the “project” a code name and then researched and stalked her
until he found the right opportunity to attack.

Rader is a very accomplished psychopath:
his ability to carry on two very different lives attests to it. “I was
pretty cold. I shot from the hip very quickly,” he told Larry
Hatteberg of KAKE-TV. “Very compartmentalized. I can wear many hats; I
can switch gears very rapidly. I can become emotionally involved. Be
cold at it.” This sounds a bit like a resume.

Some psychopaths, because they are
narcissists and self-centered, become very successful in business,
government and academia. A much smaller group — for lack of
intelligence and/or self-control — become criminals. Of those criminal
psychopaths, some become serial killers.

When professor of criminal justice at
Seattle University Jacqueline Helfgott was asked how one could tell if a
psychopath lived next door, Fox News reported Helfgott’s response:
“You wouldn’t. You would have to know every segment of their life and
be able to tie it all together.

Dr. Jack Levin, an expert on serial
killers, told WebMD: The most essential characteristic is an excessive
need for power and control, and we see this in most sexually-oriented
serial killers….For a person with a conscience, Rader’s crimes seem
hideous, but from his point of view, these are his greatest
accomplishments and he is anxious to share all the wonderful things he
has done.”

Dr. Michael Welner

Dr. Michael Welner, creator of the depravity scale,
a tool for jurors and judges that helps develop appropriate sentencing
for criminals, considers Dennis Rader to be the “worst of the worst.”

“In cases like BTK, based on what he
said, it’s clear that he intended to emotionally traumatize victims and
cause gross suffering. It was clear in the way he communicated with
the media that he intended to terrorize the community and clear that he
got a thrill.”

Dennis Rader Speaks

One must be very cautious in interpreting
whatever Dennis Rader says after his frightening confession. It’s
always worthwhile to keep Dr. Michael Welner’s words in mind when he
describes psychopaths: “If they exhibit emotion, it’s an effort to
create an impression.”

With that in mind, let’s examine what
Dennis Rader told KAKE-TV’s Larry Hatteberg about his thoughts to
express “remorse” for his crimes:

“Well, at the sentencing, it’s going to
be very remorseful, apologetic to them [victims' families]. I will be
working on that. That’s one of the things that I am working on is a
speech prepared for that. I think sentencing will be a pretty emotional
day, probably have to have a box of Kleenex that day.”

Hopefully, Rader himself has now put to
bed forever this fanciful notion that Rader wanted to get caught.
Psychopaths do risky things because they believe they are superior to
the police and much too smart to get caught. “No, I was not trying to be
caught,” Rader told Larry Hatteberg. “I just played cat and mouse too
long with the police and they finally figured it out.”

Dennis Rader had other
“projects”(victims) selected. The police claim to know who these
individuals were, but are not releasing their names.

Rader told Larry Hatteberg, “I know it
is a dark side that controls me. I personally think, and I know it’s
not very Christian, that it’s demons within me, at some point when I
was young that controlled me.”

That’s comforting to know: the devil
made him do it. Whew! For awhile, we thought Dennis Rader was
responsible, but no, it’s not his fault that he’s a serial killer. It’s
demons. Well, at least he’s not blaming his mother. With a little
therapy and an exorcism or two, perhaps Kansas prison psychologists
will give him a clean bill of health. Even if you don’t believe the
demon defense, there is somebody on a state parole board and someone in
a state prison psychology department that does. There a many innocents
who died because of this belief.

Legal Matters: Dennis Rader Update

By Rachael Bell

The 34-year-long marriage between Dennis
Rader and Paula Dietz came to an abrupt end on July 26, 2005 several
months after she learned that her husband was the BTK serial killer.
Sedgwick County District Judge Eric Yost decided not to enforce the
standard 60-day waiting period and instead granted Paula a speedy
emergency divorce within a day. Not surprisingly, Paula cited in the
divorce papers that she suffered emotional stress after learning about
the true character of her husband, Ron Sylvester reported in The Wichita
Eagle. Based on the judge’s quick response, he was likely sympathetic
to her nightmarish situation and her desire to escape the marriage as
soon as possible.

In a another surprising event, Rader has
waived his right to legal representation and has decided to defend
himself in “a series of wrongful death lawsuits filed against him by
several relatives of his 10 murder victims,” Hurst Laviana said in a
Wichita Eagle article. Mark Hutton, the victims’ attorney suggested
that Rader was either getting legal advice or “going to law school at
night” because the legal paperwork he filed was so professionally done.
Interestingly, Rader’s desire to represent himself in court is highly
reminiscent of narcissistic serial killer Ted Bundy who also defended
himself during the 1979 Chi Omega sorority sisters murder trial.

Bundy meeting in court with lawyers

However, Bundy was unsuccessful in his
endeavor, which resulted in his subsequent execution. Many wonder just
how successful Rader will be and if his grandstanding will do more harm
then good. We can only wait and see.

The BTK Tapes

By Rachael Bell

In August 2005, Sedgwick County
prosecutors made a startling discovery, one that could have significant
impact on serial killer Dennis Rader’s sentencing hearing. They
learned that Harvard neuropsychologist Dr. Robert Mendoza, who was
hired by the defense team to evaluate Rader, taped the interview with
the self-confessed killer at Sedgwick County Courthouse jail just days
before he confessed to the murders in June. Prosecutors only learned
about the tapes when NBC began advertising that they were going to
publicly air portions of the tapes on August 12th during the television station’s popular nighttime news program Dateline NBC. According to Hurst Laviana of the Wichita Eagle, the network has been promoting the interview as “the first exclusive look inside the mind of the man.”

Prosecutors have since filed a motion
with the county court to be granted access to the tapes, if they could
get them, in order to evaluate their content before Rader’s sentencing
hearing on August 17th. Attorneys for the defense suggested
during court proceedings that they also were interested in evaluating
the tapes that they supposedly never saw. No one seemed to know for
certain exactly how NBC obtained copies of the tapes and the network
was unwilling to reveal their source. What was certain was that the
tapes held valuable information that could significantly influence
Rader’s sentencing.

Laviana stated that new information also
surfaced concerning a “copy of a release signed by Rader on the day of
the interview, which “allows Mendoza and his company to have full use
of any materials obtained during the evaluation.” The information has
led some to question whether Mendoza and the company for which he works
handed the tapes over to NBC and if they did, whether they profited
financially from the transaction. Thus far, the rumors have been
unsubstantiated and Mendoza has not come forward with any information
concerning the tapes.

In Rader’s Own Words

NBC released some excerpts from the taped interview aired on August 12, 2005 (Dateline NBC’s, “Secret Confessions of BTK”):

On the “B” in Bind, Torture and Kill

Rader:You
have to have the control, which is the bonding. That’s been a big thing
with me. My sexual fantasy is … if I’m going to kill a victim or do
something to the victim, is having them bound and tied. In my dreams, I
had what they called torture chambers. And to relieve your sexual
fantasies you have to go to the kill.

On how he saw his victims as objects

Rader:I
don’t think it was actually the person that I was after, I think it was
the dream. I know that’s not really nice to say about a person, but
they were basically an object. They were just an object. That’s all they
were. I had more satisfaction building up to it and afterwards than I
did the actual killing of the person.

On the “Factor X” and what caused him to kill

Rader: Factor
X is probably something I’ll never know. I actually think it may be
possessed with demons. Uh, I was dropped on my head when I was a kid…

Mendoza: You can’t stop it.

Rader:I
can’t stop it…it controls me, you know, it’s like in the driver’s seat.
That’s probably the reason we’re sitting here. You know, if I could
just say, “No, I don’t want to do this, and go crawl into a hole.” But
it’s driving me.

During an August 12th airing of the Today Show,
Dateline NBC’s Edie Magnus revealed more insight into Dennis Rader’s
murderous behavior, which included excerpts from the exclusive two-hour
interview that was to be shown later that evening. During Mendoza’s
taped interview, Rader claimed, “I’m BTK, I’m the guy they’re after,
100%.” Rader confessed that the fantasies he described as having were
“almost like a picture show,” one, which he said he wanted to
“produce,” “direct” and go through with “no matter what the costs or the
consequences.”

Magnus said that Rader would often
dismiss his victims as “a project,” one, which began by stalking. Rader
said during the taped interview that, “the stalking stage is when you
start learning more about your victims (or) potential victims.” He
said, “I went to the library and looked up their names, address, cross
reference and called them a couple of times, drove by there whenever I
could.” When he was ready to make his move Rader came armed with what
he called his “hit kit,” which included “plastic bags, rope, tape,
knife, gun.” It was the very tools he claimed he used to murder his
victims.

If all goes well on August 17th,
Rader will never get the chance to destroy lives again. It is expected
that he will be sentenced to life behind bars. At least, that is what
the families of his victims hope.

Otero Murders Evidence

By Rachael Bell

On August 17, 2005, families of the
victims murdered by Dennis Rader listened with heavy hearts to
testimony concerning the Otero family murders, which occurred more than
three decades earlier. According to Lori O’Toole Buselt of the Wichita
Eagle, KBI assistant director Larry Thomas testified that Josephine
Otero, 11, screamed for her mother as she struggled from the noose from
which she hung in the basement of her home. The court heard that Rader
derived sexual gratification while watching Josephine’s death struggle
as he tortured her. She was the last of four family members murdered
that day, including her brother and parents. Heart-wrenching crime
scene photographs of the family were also shown to the court depicting
the events of that fateful day.

Other evidence presented in court
revealed that Josephine was Rader’s primary target and her mother his
secondary target. He stalked the little girl and her mother for around
two months after seeing them one day as he drove down the street where
they lived. According to testimony heard in court, Rader told
investigators that her was ‘turned on’ by Mrs. Otero and Josephine,
stating that he was “attracted to Hispanic-looking women,’ Buselt
reported. The article further quoted Rader who told investigators that
he ‘always had a sexual desire for younger women.”

During the court proceedings, evidence
revealed that Rader lied to the Oteros after breaking into their house
with a gun. He claimed that he wouldn’t harm them and that he was on the
run from the law and only wanted some food and money to see him
through to his next destination. Edie Magnus reported in an NBC Dateline special on the Secret Confessions of BTK
that the Otero family “bought his lie about being on the run from the
law and not wanting to hurt them,” so they allowed Rader to tie them up
without any struggle. It was only when Rader began to strangle Mr.
Otero that the children and Mrs. Otero realized that they were likely
going to die.

Other evidence presented included
photographs of Rader wearing pantyhose and a bra practicing bondage on
himself, as well as a knife and mouth gag used on Mrs. Otero at the
time of the murders, Buselt reported. The prosecution is expected to
show the court other evidence taken from Rader’s home, including dolls
he allegedly practiced bondage with, which were bound with rope and
handcuffed. It was clear that they wanted to impress on the judge that
Rader was a sadistic and evil man with no limits or regard for human
life.

Mounting Evidence

By Rachael Bell

Dennis Rader in Court listening to evidence presented during the sentencing phase of his trial

On August 17th, the court
heard more evidence, concerning Rader’s narcissistic and psychopathic
sexual fantasies. According to testimony, Rader believed that in the
afterlife the Otero family would serve him as slaves. Lori O’Toole
Buselt reported that Rader hoped that Joseph Otero would be his
bodyguard, Julie his bathroom servant, their son Joey his “sex toy and
boy servant” and Josephine he would “teach sex and bondage to.”

Kansas Bureau of Investigation’s (KBI)
Assistant Dir. Larry Thomas testified that Rader sat in a chair next to
Joey and watched him die as he strangled him with a rope. KWCH 12
Eyewitness News correspondent Liz Collins reported that Rader “told
Thomas that it was extremely hard to kill someone by strangulation and
that he’d never done it before on a person but he had strangled cats
and dogs before.” Other evidence introduced from the Otero case included
a Barbie-like doll with pubic hair and eyelashes drawn on it, which
prosecutors claimed Rader altered to look like Josephine, Buselt
reported. The doll was bound much like Josephine had been prior to her
murder.

Wichita Police Department Detective Clint
Snyder also testified, providing details concerning the murder of
Kathryn Bright, 21, who Rader randomly selected to be his victim in the
spring of 1974. Rader told Snyder that he gained entry to Kathryn’s
home when he knocked on her door asking for her help finding a
neighbor’s house. He didn’t expect Kathryn’s brother Kevin would be at
her home with her but he didn’t let that deter him. Rader tied them
both up in separate bedrooms. When Kevin struggled, Rader shot him
twice in the head. He then turned his attention to Kathryn.

Rader told Snyder that Kathryn fought,
“like a hell cat,” making it almost impossible for him to do what “he
wanted to do with her,” Collins reported. Fed up with the struggle,
Rader decided to “put her down” by stabbing her 11 times. Rader told
Snyder that he was surprised by the amount of blood and the mess it
made. Rader quickly left the scene after he killed Kathryn because
Kevin managed to make a daring escape, despite his wounds.
Astoundingly, Kevin survived but his sister wasn’t so lucky.

Shirley Vian Relford Case Evidence

By Rachael Bell

Wichita Police Department Detective Dana Gouge testified on August 17th
about Shirley Vian Relford’s murder. Rader told her that he initially
approached Relford’s son on March 17, 1977, asking him if he knew who
the people were in a picture he held out to the boy. Rader told Gouge
that the people in the picture were actually his own wife and son. The
lure worked and the young boy unknowingly led the killer to his home.
While there, Rader told Gouge that he promised Relford that he wouldn’t
hurt them but that he just wanted to tie her up and take some pictures
of her, Liz Collins reported for KWCH 12 Eyewitness News.

As Rader previously confessed in June
2005, he locked up Relford’s three young children, aged 4, 6 and 8 in
the bathroom with toys and a blanket. Gouge said that one of the kids
threatened to break out of the bathroom but Rader said he would blow
the kids heads off if he did. In the meantime, he tied Relford up, put a
plastic bag around her neck and strangled her. He hoped to also make
her a servant in his afterlife, much like he planned with the Otero’s.

During the court proceedings, autopsy
photos of Relford were shown to the court. The photos prompted the
first emotional response from Rader since the beginning of the
hearings. Buselt stated that he, “looked away, rubbed his forehead and
let out a sigh.” Steve Relford, who had been one of the children locked
in the bathroom that managed to escape, stared contemptuously at Rader
as evidence was being presented in court. At one point, when crime
scene photos were shown, Steven Relford “frowned and looked away,”
Buselt further reported. It was simply too painful.

Dennis Rader (r) sits with counsel during the sentencing phase of his trial

Rader told Gouge that if the kids hadn’t
fled from the house through a window in the bathroom, he would have
killed them too. He was quoted as saying, “I probably would have hung
the little girl. Like I said, I’m pretty mean or could be. But on the
other hand I’m very – you know, I’m a nice guy.”

Nancy Fox and Marine Hedge Case Evidence

By Rachael Bell

Rader stalked Nancy Fox, 25, for months before he murdered her, it was revealed in court on August 17th.
According to testimony by Wichita Police Detective Tim Relph, Rader
told him that Fox sexually appealed to him and that he had an
“attachment with her,” especially since she, “dressed nice” and was a
“nice family girl,” Buselt stated in The Wichita Eagle. Rader even went so far as to tell detectives that she was “one of the more- -more enjoyable kills,” it was further reported.

Fox’s murder was one of the few Rader
committed where he experienced no interruptions and where he was able
to exercise complete control over his victim. Rader called it a
“perfect hit,” Relph said during testimony. Like his other victims,
Rader strangled and tortured Fox in the hopes that he would make her
his bondage slave in his heavily fantasized afterlife.

Later during the court proceedings,
Sedgwick County sheriff’s Sgt. Tom Lee took the stand. He testified
about Rader’s confessions concerning Marine Hedge’s murder. Lee said
that Rader found the killing of Hedge to be “his most complicated hit”
because he actually moved her body to different locations, consciously
changing his MO in an effort to throw off police. Lee suggested that
Rader seemed pleased with himself that he was able to get away with her
murder and body disposal and avoid detection. However, Rader admitted
it was a bad idea that he took such a risk to murder in his “own
habitat.”

According to Lee, after Rader strangled
Hedge he stripped her body, wrapped her in blankets and put her in the
trunk of his car. He took the body to the church and carried it into
the basement. He had the key to the building because he was a
congregation leader. Lee said that Rader had earlier hid plastic in the
church so he could act out his bondage fantasy with Hedge that night.
Rader posed the body in sexually explicit ways using the plastic and
then took pictures, Buslet said. Years later, investigators found
pictures in Rader’s home, which depicted him wrapped in plastic, similar
to how Hedge was posed in the pictures. The photographs supported the
prosecution’s argument that Rader saw his victims only as objects,
which he used for the sole purpose of acting out his sick fantasies.

Vicki Wegerle and Dolores Davis Case Evidence

By Rachael Bell

Wichita Police Detective Kelly Otis was the seventh witness to be heard on August 17th.
He testified about what Rader told him concerning Vicki Wegerle’s
murder. Rader told Otis that he dressed as a Southwestern Bell employee,
wearing a yellow hard hat and carrying a company manual and fake
identification, Buselt reported. His disguise was used to gain entry to
Wegerle’s home.

Wegerle, 29, was alone with her two-year
old son, when Rader pulled a gun on her and made go to a back bedroom
where he tied her up with leather shoelaces. Rader told Otis that she,
like Kathryn Bright, “fought like a hell cat” while he was trying to
“take her down.” Buselt reported that DNA found beneath Wegerle’s
fingernail matched that of Dennis Rader.

The last testimony to be heard that day
concerned the murder of Dolores “Dee” Davis, who was killed in January
1991. She was Rader’s last known victim. Rader told Sedgwick County
sheriff’s Capt. Sam Houston that he waited for Davis to fall asleep
before he broke through her sliding glass door with a cinderblock.
According to Rader, Davis told him he couldn’t be in her home but he
quieted her when he threatened her with a gun, knife and club. Houston
claimed that Rader bragged saying, “That’s the control factor…you start
to control them a little bit, you ease them a little bit. Just like
you guys come in here and you buddy me, you try to make me feel at ease
like it’s going to be okay,” Buselt reported.

Houston testified that Rader killed
Davis, hoping to also make her one of his bondage slave women in his
dreamed up fantasy afterlife. In the middle of the Captain’s testimony,
the proceedings were stopped, set to resume the next day. It would
undoubtedly be one of many sleepless nights that the families of the
victims would have to endure.

Evil Personified

By Rachael Bell

During the second day of the sentencing
proceedings, Capt. Sam Houston revealed more information concerning
Rader’s murder of Dolores Davis. According to testimony, Rader told
Houston that while he tortured her he placed a thin painted plastic
mask on her face to “pretty her up a little bit” and make her look
“more feminine.” The mask had been painted flesh tone with red lips and
darkened eyebrows to make it look more lifelike in appearance. He was
so wrapped up in his fantasy when he was torturing Davis that he
ignored her pleas when she begged him to spare her life.

Rader admitted to Houston that after he
killed Davis, he wore some of her clothes that he had stolen, along
with a similar looking mask and a wig. When Rader dressed up as a
woman, he posed himself in various bondage positions and took pictures
of himself with a remote snap camera. In the pictures he appeared
markedly distressed as if he were the actual victim. The pictures were
used specifically to fuel his perverted fantasies and he kept them in a
huge stash he referred to as “the mother load.” Most of Rader’s stash
was hidden in his house and office and included such items as binders
with cut out pictures of models and starlets, such as Meg Ryan, index
cards with child swimsuit models on them and sexual fantasies written
on the backside, jewelry and clothing from his victims, newspaper
clippings, a doll collection and his “hit kit,” among other things,
Buselt reported in The Wichita Eagle. None of his colleagues or his wife knew his hoard of pictures and other sexual paraphernalia ever existed.

Just when Houston’s testimony about
Rader couldn’t get anymore shocking or bizarre, it did. He told the
court that other photographs were found that included pictures Rader
took of himself wearing a made-up mask and lying partially covered in a
dug out grave that was initially intended for Davis. Davis was never
buried there because Rader simply didn’t have the time to do it. He
claimed that at that time he was already late for a Boy Scout event.
Instead of burying her he dumped Davis’s body and the mask under the
bridge and decided to revisit his “kill” the next day. When he did, he
claimed that he was “creeped out” by the site of her body because
animals had ravaged her remains.

After Houston stepped down, Wichita
Police Lt. Ken Landwehr took the stand. He testified that Rader’s case
was different from other serial killers because of the length of time
between each murder. Other than that, he was later quoted as saying
that there was “nothing special” about him.

Rader was like most other serial
killers, especially in his aversion to taking responsibility for his
savage crimes. Rader found it easier to blame his blood lust on his
“compartmentalized personalities,” one side of himself that he claimed
he showed to his family and the church and the other dominated by
“Factor X”- the killer. Lt. Landwehr told the court that Rader
described himself in these terms on several occasions. The families of
the victims were set to describe Rader in other terms, when they got
their chance to say their piece following the court recess.

Sentencing

By Rachael Bell

On August 18, 2005, family members of
the victims courageously stood before the man who murdered their loved
ones and for the first time told him what they thought of him and his
horrendous actions. Rader was repeatedly called a monster and a coward
by most of the family members who asked the judge for the harshest
sentence possible. Some of the family members were so overcome with
emotion that they were unable to say what they felt. Rader’s evil was
beyond comprehension or words. During the statements, Rader showed
signs of emotion, wiping his eyes periodically as if he were overcome
with grief for what he had done. Many likely wondered why he never
showed such “remorse” while he was murdering innocent people.

After the court heard from the families,
Rader stood up and gave a 20-minute long rambling statement that the
District Attorney Nola Foulston later likened to an awards ceremony
speech. Rader said that what he’d done was selfish and narcissistic. He
also tearfully thanked the defense, members of the jail staff, his
social worker and pastor whom he called his “main man.” Shockingly,
Rader unashamedly compared himself to his victims, as if they were
“peas of a pod.” It was his final assault on the victims and their
families. Yet, many of them weren’t there to hear Rader because they
got up and left the courtroom seconds into his speech.

In Rader’s final struggle for power and
control, he listed a series of complaints he had about alleged errors
the DA and investigators made in their presentation of the case. It was
clear during Rader’s statements that he reveled in the attention. It
was what he longed for. At the end of his speech Rader made a brief
apology to the victims’ families

When Rader finally concluded his speech,
Foulston said that Rader cried “crocodile tears” and suggested he had
no real remorse for the victims or their families. She asked once again
that Judge Waller take into consideration the harshest possible
penalty when sentencing Rader. She also asked that he impose additional
restrictions on him, including limits against his having access to
pictures of humans or animals or even having writing materials, which
she suggested he could use to continue acting out his perverted
fantasies.

Finally, the long anticipated sentencing
of Rader commenced. Judge Waller sentenced him to a total of 175
years, to be served consecutively. Specifically, he sentenced him to
“nine life terms and gave him the Hard 40 sentence—40 years in prison
with no chance of parole—for the Dee Davis murder, KAKE News reported.
Judge Waller also ordered that he pay restitution to the families of
his victims as well as court costs. It was the harshest sentence that
he could give Rader under Kansas state law.